Raymundo Herrera, 18, of Aurora pleaded guilty on Friday to setting his three-year-old niece on fire in 2009.
Herrera was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to heinous battery, the Kane County state’s attorney’s office said.
On October 5, 2009, Herrera sprayed lighter fluid on his three-year-old niece and lit her on fire after she allegedly interrupted him while he was listening to music, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Herrera’s niece had been in the home upstairs with Herrera and ran downstairs after a short time with her clothes on fire. Two relatives extinguished the flames and called 911, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
The girl was taken to Rush Copley Medical Center and then flown to Loyola University Medical Center. She suffered third-degree burns over 18 percent of her body, police said, although she did survive.
Additional charges against Herrera for attempted murder and domestic battery were dropped, according to court records.
