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Kurt Smith, who lived at the residence in the 500 block of Willow Boulevard in Browns Mills was convicted for causing the death of his elderly mother and her companion, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.
The house fire happened in October 2018 in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township, he said.
Smith was convicted of two counts of second-degree reckless manslaughter, Coffina said.
Smith was accused of igniting flammable material with a cigarette lighter in the garage of the residence, then unsuccessfully attempting to extinguish the blaze, the prosecutor said.
In addition to the homicides, Smith was charged with arson. The jury was unable to come to a verdict on the arson charge.
The fire killed his mother, Lore Smith, 92, who was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Her companion, George Pikunis, also 92, was pronounced dead at the scene, Coffina said.
Autopsies performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood concluded the cause of death in each instance was smoke and soot inhalation, along with thermal burns, Coffina said.
The verdict was returned Oct. 26 after about 10 hours hours of jury deliberation.
Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Garrenger has scheduled sentencing for Jan. 7, 2022.
Smith has been held in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly since his arrest a few days after the fire.
Smith was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Remy and Assistant Prosecutor Bob Van Gilst.
The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Erica Ridge and Pemberton Township Detective Tom Lucas.
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