Mohammad Hasan, who has been charged as an adult, admitted to police he poured a flammable liquid Dec. 30 in the vestibule of 1437 Glover St. near where he lived.
Maria Cruz, 20, and her mother, Brenda Casanova, 41, died in the fire. Cruz's husband, Roberto, has been serving in Iraq.
Hasan said he got the idea after hearing someone soaked the carpet outside of Cruz's and Casanova's apartment on Thanksgiving Day with gasoline. Hasan faces up to nine years in prison.