Man accused of setting fire to home says he didn't like lesbian neighbors

2 women, 8 children inside home that caught fire

Braulio Valenzuela-Villanueva is accused of setting fire to his lesbian neighbors' mobile home.

MIAMI – A South Florida man accused of setting fire to his neighbors' mobile home told police he did not like the women who lived there "for the simple fact that they were lesbians," according to a Miami-Dade police report.

Braulio Valenzuela-Villanueva, 73, was arrested Monday on charges of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree arson and commission of a hate crime.

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Miami-Dade police said two women and eight children were inside the mobile home when it caught fire early Saturday morning. They were awakened and safely escaped from the burning home.

According to the report, another neighbor's surveillance video showed Valenzuela-Villanueva set fire to a mattress that was leaning against the wall of the mobile home.

During the fire, the report said, a neighbor had to compel Valenzuela-Villanueva to help carry a garden hose to battle the flames before firefighters arrived.

Although Valenzuela-Villanueva didn't admit to setting the fire, he told police he "despised" the lesbians living near him, the report said. Valenzuela-Villanueva said every time he saw them kissing, he felt a "deep repugnance" and believed they didn't deserve to have children, the report said.