Two Atlantic County men pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for setting their former friend on fire as he slept.
Raymond Mullen, 27, was asleep on David Sult’s couch in Mays Landing when he was set on fire as part of a supposed prank March 15.
Sult and Brandon Perez, 23, of Hammonton, then followed Mullen out of the home, spraying him with lighter fluid, according to the charges.
Sult and Perez pleaded guilty Thursday in exchange for a plea deal that would give them each five-year prison sentences, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said. Under the No Early Release Act, the would have to serve four years and three months before they are eligible for parole.
Plea negotiations have been ongoing.
The men had claimed Mullen was burned accidentally by an electronic smoking device but the investigation revealed the fire had been set intentionally, Tyner said.
The evidence in the case has been called “extensive,” and included video surveillance, photos and recorded conversations, Assistant Prosecutor Christ D’Esposito has said during previous court hearings.
