Troy man sentenced for killing his girlfriend’s mother by setting her duplex on fire

A man who admitted to killing his girlfriend’s mother by setting her Troy duplex on fire in 2022 has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

The sentencing hearing on Monday afternoon in Madison County Circuit Court was full of drama, including a verbal confrontation between defendant Michael Sloan’s family and Courtney Tomlinson, 40, of Belleville, daughter of victim Susanne Tomlinson, 69.

“This is (your) last look,” Courtney Tomlinson said, staring menacingly at Sloan while walking back to her seat from the witness stand. She had read a long and emotional victim-impact statement that described how he had tortured and killed her “best friend” and ruined her life.

One of Sloan’s family members then shouted, “Don’t say anything to him!” That prompted Associate Judge Neil Schroeder to warn spectators to either leave the courtroom or stay quiet.

Sloan, 41, pleaded guilty last month to one count of first-degree murder. Under an open plea agreement with the office of Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine, he could have been sentenced to a minimum of 30 years or maximum of 50 years in prison.

After Schroeder handed down the verdict, Courtney Tomlinson and about 15 friends and family members let out a collective sigh of relief and began hugging each other and crying tears of joy. Most were wearing black hoodies with Susanne Tomlinson’s photo on the front.

About 15 of Sloan’s friends and family members stood up and filed out quickly, telling him, “We love you,” and “We’ll come visit you.” Then someone in back said, “You should have killed that bitch.”

Madison County sheriff’s deputies led Sloan into the courtroom wearing a black-and-white-striped jail uniform, handcuffs and shackles. He nodded at his mother, Merilyn Hill, who sat in the front row.

Sloan sat motionless during the nearly two-hour hearing at the Madison County Criminal Justice Center in Edwardsville. Toward the end, the judge invited him to make a statement.

“I caused the death of another person,” Sloan said. “I know it was wrong. I wish I could go back in time and change what happened, but I can’t.”

The hearing was dominated by testimony from Todd Hays, a detective with Troy Police Department. He described the events of Sept. 22, 2022, and narrated dash-cam video that showed police responding to a 911 call and finding a hysterical Courtney Tomlinson outside her mother’s duplex.

Courtney Tomlinson told officers that Sloan had doused her mother with gasoline, then police observed him using a cigarette lighter to set the fire and locking himself and Susanne Tomlinson inside, according to Hays.

“(Sloan) said, ‘I’m going to kill this bitch,’” Hays said.

In the video, Courtney Tomlinson was screaming and begging officers to save her mother’s life as the duplex became engulfed in thick black smoke and later tall orange flames. Firefighters rescued Sloan, who was badly burned, but it was too late for Susanne Tomlinson.

Sloan lived with Courtney Tomlinson and her two daughters, then ages 9 and 12, at 518 Wood Thrush St. in Troy, just down the street from her mother’s duplex at 523 Wood Thrush St.

The day after the fire, Courtney Tomlinson told the BND that she was kicking Sloan out because he owed her money.

Courtney Tomlinson spoke directly to Sloan during her victim-impact statement at Monday’s hearing, telling him she didn’t understand how he could do something so horrific to her family.

“I’ll never forget the words you said that day: ‘Bitch, I’m going to kill you.’ How could you be so hateful? Did you ever love me?”

Courtney Tomlinson said she has experienced depression, anxiety, mood swings and signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since the fire, and she and her two daughters have undergone counseling.

Courtney Tomlinson said she still has nightmares and can hear her mother screaming with terror and pain as Sloan “burned her alive.” An autopsy found that Susanne Tomlinson died of smoke inhalation and burn-related injuries. Her beloved dog, Sydney, also was killed.

“How would you feel if somebody did that to your mother?” Courtney Tomlinson asked.

Haine’s office charged Sloan on Sept. 27, 2022, with three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated arson and aggravated unlawful restraint.

Some of the charges related to a domestic dispute at Sloan and Courtney Tomlinson’s duplex earlier on the day of the fire.

The charging document alleged that Sloan ordered Tomlinson to bind herself with zip-ties on her wrists, held a knife to her throat, threatened to kill her and doused her with gasoline before she escaped to a neighbor’s house and he walked down to her mother’s duplex carrying a gas can.

“This sentence, which is effectively a life sentence, brings accountability for the heinous and cruel actions committed by the defendant against an innocent life,” Haine said in a statement after Monday’s hearing.

“This sentence reflects the gravity of the crime, the impact it had on the victim’s family and the unwavering commitment of the State’s Attorney’s Office to protect the innocent. Our prayer is that this sentence helps the victim’s family navigate the difficult path of healing after their profound loss.”

Schroeder noted that several of Sloan and Courtney Tomlinson’s friends and family members submitted victim-impact statements.

The prosecution called two witnesses at the hearing, Hays and Christopher Guile, an investigator with the Illinois State Fire Marshall’s office. Guile testified that he determined that Sloan intentionally set the fire.

Sloan’s mother and a family friend took the stand as character witnesses. Both described him as a good person, who was always willing to help people, and a good father to his three daughters.

After the hearing, Sloan’s aunt, Carolyn Hill, said she was having a hard time believing that he would do what he was accused of doing and speculated that something more happened that wasn’t revealed in court.

“That’s not like Little Mike,” Hill said. “He is a loving guy. I’ve known him all his life. He’s always worked two jobs, and he loves his three girls. I’m just hurt. I just think he’s being railroaded.”

After his arrest, Sloan spent several weeks in a St. Louis hospital, where he was treated for severe burns. He was then transferred to the Madison County Jail, where he has remained in custody on a $1 million bond.

In November 2022, Sloan asked for his bond to be reduced from $1 million to $400,000 so he could pay $40,000 (10%), get out of jail and undergo “burn rehabilitation” at a residential treatment facility. A judge denied the motion after prosecutors objected.