Man charged in northeast Minneapolis house fire that killed friend

A St. Paul man is accused of setting a fatal fire to the home of a friend in northeast Minneapolis.

The fire unfolded Sept. 25 on the 900 block of NE. 22nd Avenue. The man killed in the blaze was identified by family as Housten R. Housley, 39, of Minneapolis. Three other residents in the building escaped.

Andrew J. Nietz, 41, faces felony charges of second-degree murder and arson in the case. He has two previous arson convictions stemming from incidents at the Mall of America in 2012 and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in 2023.

Housley worked as a food-delivery driver after his career in construction was shortened by health issues, according to his mother, Pamela Lazor. He had a birthday about a week before the fire, and his mother said he was happy.

“He was a great kid,” Lazor said. “He had many friends, probably too big of a heart. He’s got a lot of people that will miss him. ... Probably me the most.”

Lazor, who owned the duplex where her son lived, said she had previously rented to Nietz before but had to end the arrangement over drug use and other issues. She said Housley “was trying to keep him out of his life” and that Nietz had threatened to burn the house down before.

“[Housley] pretty much told him he can’t be hanging around there anymore,” Lazor said.

According to the criminal complaint:

Emergency crews were called to the house at 11:19 p.m.

After escaping the fire, another resident of the building told police they had seen Nietz at Housley’s residence around 8:30 p.m. The resident knew that Nietz had made threats before, and that the two often had physical altercations when they drank together.

Nietz was pulled over by police in south Minneapolis hours later, while driving Housley’s car. He told investigators he was sent to a liquor store by a friend. When he returned to Housley’s home, he couldn’t get inside and tried to call him multiple times.

Police reviewed Nietz’s phone and found no evidence he tried calling Housley that night. Nietz was observed with scratches on his arm and face.