He Liked Attractive Men — and Burning Down Their Homes
One of America’s most prolific arsonists, 50-year-old Thomas Sweatt liked to follow attractive men he saw to their homes. Once there he would often use a device of his own creation to set fire to the house. His preferred method of starting a fire — a milk jug filled with gasoline and a piece of clothing stuffed in the mouth to act as a wick.
The Most Prolific Serial Arsonist
From 1985 to 2000 Thomas Sweatt set close to 400 fires, making him one of the most prolific serial arsonists in American history. Driven by some kind of sexual gratification, Thomas would find a man that he found attractive and almost immediately form an obsession.
In 1985, Thomas was walking home after his shift at a Red Robin when he passed a good-looking man and decided to follow him home. The man entered his house while Thomas watched a safe distance away.
He Wanted Gratification
Thomas then drove to a nearby gas station and filled up a 2-liter pop bottle with gas and returned to the handsome man’s house. Dumping…