Joel Matthews is expected to plead guilty Friday to killing two neighbors on April 13, 2012, and setting fire to their New London apartment building.

The 31-year-old had previously turned down an offer from prosecutor Lawrence J. Tytla to plead guilty in exchange for a 50-year prison sentence, but decided to accept a plea offer as the case moved toward a trial in Super­ior Court.

His attorney, Kevin C. Barrs, told Judge Hillary B. Strackbein during Matthews’ court appearance Wednesday that Matthews had decided to plead guilty under the Alford Doctrine, which means he does not agree with the state’s allegations but does not want to risk a harsher sentence if convicted at trial.

Strackbein continued the case to Friday so the survivors of the victims — Noel Starback, 57, and Sherry Roush, 50 — could be notified.

Matthews, who was charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson in the hours after the fire, is being held in lieu of $1 million bond at the Northern Correctional Institution.

The victims were discovered in their first-floor apartment at 36 Blinman St. when the New London Fire Department responded to the fire. According to police, Matthews, who also lived in the building, confessed that after a day of drinking, he killed Starback and Roush with a baseball bat and returned later with his mother and set fire to the house to cover up the crime. The mother, Julie Vince, has not been charged in the case.

During his court appearance, Matthews asked about his mother.

“I was under the impression that I, and I alone, will be taking the charges and Julie would not be charged with anything,” he said.

Tytla said he is not willing to make that part of the plea agreement and told Matthews to discuss it further with his attorney.

— Karen Florin