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A spurned lover has admitted burning down a man's house after he stood her up on a booty call — by falling asleep. Taija Russell, 35, sent a series of angry texts when she arrived at Curtis Stokes' house and he did not hear her knocking at his door. She then bought lighter fluid, matches and lighter at a nearby petrol station before torching his house in anger at the foiled tryst. The house was destroyed and Curtis managed to escape by removing a window frame and climbing through the opening. He suffered smoke inhalation and first and second-degree burns in the horror blaze in New Jersey, US, in 2019. Firefighters had to rescue his dog from inside the burning building. Russell was charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, endangering and criminal mischief and aggravated assault. On Friday, she pleaded guilty to aggravated arson, a second degree felony. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors will dismiss her other charges when she is sentenced on January 9. She faces an eight-year jail term, Smoking Gun reports . Court records show Russell had travelled to Curtis home. He told cops he "invited defendant to his residence to have sexual intercourse". He added that Russell was a "side chick" who he had been having sex with. Russell had sparked the chat by texting Curtis saying "hello", to which he responded, "Bring ya ass". But by the time she arrived, he'd fallen asleep. Cops found angry messages from Russell to Curtis, one of which read: "You wasted my money to come out here." When he didn't reply, Russell called him eight times and texted him: "U smoked", "I see you wanna die", and "I swear to god I hope you die". She was then caught on CCTV outside the house just before the fire, police said. Curtis woke at 4.30am to find his house was on fire. He ran to Woodbury Police Station "covered head to toe in soot and ash" and wearing only a T-shirt to tell cops his house was burning. He told police he awoke to the smell of smoke and was unable to leave through the door "as the fire was too intense". He was later treated at a local hospital for burns and smoke inhalation. A probable cause statement read: "The residence and its contents were completely destroyed." Russell could be seen with her young child during a video court appearance, Smoking Gun reports. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .
