Man Who Set Mobile Home On Fire With Daughter Inside Gets 18-Year Sentence

A 48-year-old Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to setting a mobile home on fire and killing his daughter was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison Friday.

John Sean Newport burned down his mobile home in Paynesville, Minnesota, in July 2019 while his 22-year-old daughter, Jayme Newport, was still inside, WCCO reported. On Friday, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the death of his daughter due to the case’s “particular cruelty” and because the victim was “particularly vulnerable,” the report said.

He pleaded guilty in April to unintentional murder in the second degree while committing felony arson. It was part of an agreement with the prosecutors. This development came after Newport pleaded not guilty to the charges in September last year, West Central Tribune reported.

There was no victim impact statement made during the sentencing, West Central Tribute said in another report. When asked if he had anything to add, the 48-year-old told the court to "get it done and over with.”

Prior to the incident, the father and daughter allegedly had an argument, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Star Tribune. Newport also put up a social media post expressing intent to burn down the mobile home where he lived with his daughter and her cats.

On July 23, 2019, Jamey called authorities at about 6:50 p.m., the complaint said. At the time, her father was reportedly pouring gasoline on the home and told her daughter that he was going to burn down the home.

"(She) began screaming, yelling for help, and saying she can't get out. Stearns County dispatch then lost communication with her," part of the complaint read.

An officer arrived at the scene before firefighters and heard the screams of Jamey from the rear of the mobile home. He was able to get hold of a fire extinguisher when he opened the rear door, but the fire had already gotten out of hand.

The body of Jamey was later found inside the bathroom of the trailer. She was brought to the Paynesville Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy lists the cause of death as inhalation of combustibles and the manner of death as homicide.

Investigators found a gas can inside the home and a lighter on the ground outside. According to the complaint, four of the family’s five cats also perished in the blaze.