JuristMail - Legal News » arson

Defendant Pleads Not Guilty in Mass. Arson Case

John Fiore — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:40:15 +0000

A 25-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to setting a fire at a western Massachusetts home that killed two of his neighbors. It was one of nine fires set within hours of one another in the community of Northampton. Anthony P. Baye was ordered held without bail Tuesday at his arraignment on two counts of murder, arson and armed burglary in Northampton District Court. He has not been charged with the other fires.

Prosecutors said in court that Baye was caught on surveillance video in the area the night of the fires. They said that proves his alibi – that he was visiting his girlfriend – was a lie. The Dec. 27 blaze killed 81-year-old Paul Yeskie Sr. and his 39-year-old son, Paul Yeskie Jr. Baye lives in the Yeskies’ neighborhood. A woman who answered the phone at the Baye home Tuesday declined to comment.

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Massachusetts Fire Deaths Ruled Homicides

John Fiore — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:58:37 +0000

The deaths of two men in one of a string of fires last weekend have been ruled homicides by the Massachusetts Medical Examiner’s office. Dr. Andrew Sexton on Wednesday “presumptively” identified the victims in the Sunday fire in Northampton, Mass., as 81-year-old Paul Yeskie Sr. and his son, 39-year-old Paul Yeskie Jr. Family members had already publicly identified the Yeskies as the victims.

Additional dental tests are needed to positively identify the victims. Authorities say they died of asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation and “thermal injuries.” The men died in one of a string of nine suspected arson fires that struck the city last Sunday. There have been no arrests.

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Task Force to Probe Mass. Fires

John Fiore — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:05:59 +0000

A task force of state, regional and federal officials is investigating a string of suspicious weekend fires in Massachusetts, including one in which two people died. At least nine fires were reported early Sunday in houses and cars within a half-mile radius in the college town of Northampton, Mass. Authorities say they suspect arson.

Officials are returning to the sites Monday, including the home in which two men died. Their identities were not immediately released. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. State and local officials are working with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the investigation.

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Caltech Grad Gets Prison in SUV Firebombing Case

John Fiore — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:18:04 +0000

A graduate student of the California Institute of Technology has been sentenced to federal prison on charges of conspiracy for the firebombings of several sozen SUVs. The firebombings were reportedly part of an environmental protest. A Los Angeles judge sentenced William Cottrell on Monday to eight years and three months in prison. Cottrell was also ordered to pay three and a half million dollars in restitution.

The twenty-nine-year-old was already serving an eight-year prison term, but was resentenced after an appeals court overturned his 2004 conviction of seven counts of arson. He retained the conspiracy conviction.

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California Man Set for Wine Warehouse Fire Hearing

John Fiore — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:34:44 +0000

A San Francisco wine keeper who was ready to stand trial for a fire that destroyed a warehouse has scheduled a change-of-plea hearing. The 2005 fire in the warehouse caused the loss of over six million bottles of wine, and an estimated two hundred fifty million dollars‘ worth of damage. The warehouse stored wines for almost 140 Napa Valley wineries.

Mark Anderson’s trial has been set for Tuesday in federal court in Sacramento, although court documents show that he has scheduled a change-of-plea hearing for Monday afternoon. The sixty-one-year-old pleaded not guilty to nineteen federal charges in 2007, including arson, mail fraud, and tax evasion.

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DA: Arson-Related Heart Attacks are Murder

John Fiore — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:26:35 +0000

Five men were victims of heart attacks during the 2003 blaze that swept through the foothills of San Bernadino, including 70-year-old James McDermith. McDermith was a church deacon who was camping when he noticed smoke, attempting to pack together his things, and suffered a fatal heart attack. Prosecutors charged the suspected arsonist this week with five counts first-degree murder, which could set a new standard for fatalities in arson cases in the future.

Under state law, any death that occurs during the commission of a felony, including arson, can be charged as first-degree murder – but a conviction will hinge on how much time elapsed between the crime and the death and if any other factors contributed.

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Arsonist Burns Seattle Police Vehicles

John Fiore — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:16:52 +0000

The Fire Department of Seattle said that several police vehicles were set ablaze in a city maintenance yard in what police say was an attack of arson. Spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said Thursday’s early morning fire caused serious damage to two police cars and one police van. She said the fire was quickly brought under control, and that there were no injuries. Police are looking for a man who was seen wearing a backpack in the area.

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Homeless Man Arrested in Fire Probe

John Fiore — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:54:44 +0000

A homeless man has been arrested and charged with arson for starting a fire in August near the spot authorities say a gigantic fire erupted several days later. The blaze eventually killed two firefighters. Babatunsin Olukunle, twenty-five, is currently the strongest lead in the arson investigation that stemmed from the fire responsible for the destruction of eighty-nine homes, burning over two hundred fifty square miles of national forest, and killing two firefighters when their truck ran off the road.

Olukunle, from Nigeria, was arrested Thursday and charged on Monday with one felony count of recklessly causing a fire. Authorities say he started a fire that charred an area about the size of a tabletop, which was then extinguished by two Forest Service workers who spotted smoke. The fire eventually burned off the side of the nearby road and six days later lead to the huge blaze.

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Man Indicted with Murder, Arson for 2003 Ca. Wildfire

John Fiore — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:52:10 +0000

A prison inmate has been indicted for charges of murder and arson in the 2003 California wildfire that destroyed almost one thousand homes and was linked to six heart attack deaths. Rickie Lee Fowler, twenty-eight, was indicted on five counts of murder, one count of aggravated arson, and one count of arson in an inhabited structure, authorities said. The murder charges include the murder during the commission of the arson, said Michael Ramos, District Attorney for San Bernadino.

Ramos said hundreds of people lost their homes, including several prosecutors from his staff. “Our hearts go out to the thousands of people who were affected by this,” he said. “Although justice was delayed, I will tell you justice will not be denied in this case.”

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Pomona Teen Charged for 2,100 Acre Wildfire

John Fiore — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:29:13 +0000

Los Angeles County authorities recently charged a thirteen-year-old boy they believe is responsible for setting a 2,100 acre wildfire with arson. Prosecutors levelled two charges against the boy, whose name was not released – arson of a forest and recklessly starting a fire.

He is accused of starting a fire in the Los Angeles National Forest area near Azusa, on August 25, where it ran for over three miles. No homes were damaged in the blaze, though a large amount of vegetation and possibly wildlife were compromised. He has not been accused for involvement in the larger fire that month, which burned almost two hundred fifty square miles and destroyed almost a hundred homes.

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