Brooklyn resident Steven Somerville was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for torching the Forest Hills apartment of a mother of three who broke off their relationship in 2021.
Courtesy of the DA’s office
A Brooklyn man was sentenced to nearly three decades in prison for repeatedly stalking and threatening a Forest Hills mother of three in 2021 after she broke off their relationship, and then set her apartment on fire, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Sept. 19.
Steven Somerville, 52, of Bushwick Avenue, was convicted by a jury in July 2023 of arson in the second degree, burglary in the second degree, reckless endangerment, criminal contempt in the first degree and stalking in the third and fourth degrees.
According to the charges and trial testimony, Somerville met the female victim at their mutual place of employment. In October 2021, Somerville and the woman began an intimate relationship. Although married, Somerville became fixated on the woman and targeted her with unwanted attention.
He showed up at the victim’s residence uninvited if she didn’t answer his calls and insisted on driving her to work, even though she said she didn’t want to see him. Somerville’s wife found out about the victim, became concerned for the woman’s safety and encouraged her to contact the police.
On Dec. 4, 2021, when the victim attempted to end her relationship with Somerville, he threatened to kill her, according to the charges. She fled her residence with her three children to a domestic violence shelter. Over a 24-hour period, Somerville called the victim more than 100 times.
On Dec. 7, 2021, at approximately 4 a.m., Somerville entered the victim’s empty apartment in a six-story building in Forest Hills. He moved two mattresses from a bedroom into the living room, piled them with household items and clothing and set them on fire, according to the charges. He left the apartment through a window leaving the front door locked. Surveillance…
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