Suspect charged in Andover fire that killed man
Published 10:03 am Friday, June 20, 2014
ANOKA — An Andover landlord accused of setting his roommate on fire was charged with murder Thursday after the victim died earlier in the day.
Adam John Lilienthal, 29, faces three counts of second-degree murder. Lilienthal is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday.
Authorities say Lilienthal fled the scene after Scott Yorek, 55, was critically burned Tuesday night at the house they shared. Lilienthal was arrested hours later near Orr in northern Minnesota.
Yorek suffered burns over 80 percent of his body and was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. Before being put into a medically induced coma, Yorek told medical personnel that Lilienthal had set him on fire, according to the criminal complaint.
Yorek died about 2 a.m. Thursday at HCMC of “complications of thermal injuries,” the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office said.
Authorities describe the conflict as a dispute between a landlord and a tenant. Deputies had gone to the home earlier Tuesday concerning a dispute between the two but left once the parties agreed “to separate for the evening,” the Anoka County sheriff’s office said.
According to the complaint, sheriff’s deputies were called to a home around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and found a man lying naked on the front steps. The man’s clothing was burned off and he had severe burns over his entire body.
Deputies spoke briefly with the man, who said, “I can’t believe Adam tried to kill me,” and “Why did Adam do this to me?” the complaint said.