PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A Pawtucket man received a lengthy sentence and a lecture from a Superior Court judge about his attempt to thwart the judicial system by burning down a witness's home.
Raymond B. Gyamfi, 23, pleaded guilty Tuesday to burning a Vale Street apartment house in February 2011 to intimidate a resident who was testifying against him in a home invasion. His target, Bennert Agemang, was at Superior Court that day. The fire killed pets and left residents homeless.
Judge Netti Vogel sentenced Gyamfi to serve 19 years of a 30-year sentence for arson and burglary, and a year for witness intimidation.
The crimes were intended to "thwart the hands of justice and strike at the heart of the legal judicial system I love so much," Vogel said.