Champaign man sentenced 7 years for setting apartment on fire in 2022

URBANA — A Champaign man was sentenced this month to seven years in prison for starting a fire in a Champaign apartment complex in 2022.

Champaign County Judge Roger Webber handed down the sentence Friday to Khristian M. Williams, 32, after he pleaded guilty to one count of residential arson.

Champaign police and firefighters were dispatched to the 300 block of Kenwood Road on Dec. 16 for a report of an ongoing fire in an apartment, Assistant State’s Attorney Brooke Hinman said in an email.

On scene, emergency personnel encountered another resident who said she had knowledge of how the fire started.

She said she had seen a man named “Khristian” earlier in the lobby of the second floor of the building pick up a piece of paper from the floor. The man then told her he was going to set the apartment on fire and to call 911.

The woman went back inside her apartment and, after a short time, heard the fire alarm and called 911.

The woman was familiar with Williams because he also lived in the apartment complex. She identified him by photo.

A Champaign police report said fire officials found flammable liquid inside the apartment that burned.

Williams faced four to 15 years in prison for residential arson, a Class 1 felony. He had credit for 477 days already served in jail.