Recently in Fire Category

Susan Lukjan is the St. Matthews, KY, business owner accused of burning down her own business allegedly to collect the insurance money.  On Thursday, her defense attorney, Thomas Clay, challenged Major Henry Ott's ruling of incendiary fire, meaning the fire was intentionally set, and said there was no accelerant found.  The fire cause and origin expert witness is with the Louisville Fire Department's arson unit. 

Clay accused Ott of "expectation bias" in relation to his client's motives to start the fire, meaning he formed his opinion before all the evidence came in.

Read more: wlky.com.

An expert witness in the trial for William Beckerman, who is accused of setting fire to his home in West Hartford, CT, last year, testified Thursday that the fire was caused by a faulty furnace.  Michael K. Higgins, a fire investigator hired by the defense, said that soot blew through holes in a furnace flue pipe and onto the floor, likely starting the fire. Soot is unburned oil that builds up when a furnace is not functioning optimally, he said.

The fire burned heaviest in the furnace room, which is why the ceiling above it caved in before other parts of the ceiling — further evidence that the fire broke out near the furnace, Higgins testified.

Beckerman is accused of using fuels to set his home on fire on Feb. 11. Gasoline and kerosene were found in three areas of the home, including the top of a couch in the basement and a step of a stairway.

For more, see www.courant.com.

A new grand jury report on the March fire that killed four of the nine residents of a Hamilton County group home offers some meaningful recommendations to protect the safety of New York’s developmentally disabled citizens, the New York Civil Liberties Union says.  The grand jury report says that a fire origin expert witness has identified the port of origin for the fire as being on the exterior screened porch located on the rear of the building and indicates that the fire started in a trash can on the porch.

In June, the Department of State, Office of Fire Prevention and Control had determined that the cause of the fire was the result of “human action”.  “We submit that this demonstrates the very significant challenge presented in evacuating individuals who do not have self preservation skills. We also submit that these circumstances were reasonably forseeable.” Fire safety in this group home and in the thousands others like it are reviewed by employees who monitor the quality of care provided to residents. They have little training and “cannot in any sense be considered experts in the field,” the report says.

For more, see northcountygazette.org.

Testimony has ended in the Des Moines County Courthouse trial of Dennis Duane Richards Richards, 59. Richards is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the Jan. 4 death of his 46-year-old fiancee and former wife, Cyd Charisse Richards. He also is on trial for second-degree arson on allegations he burned the woman's house shortly after he killed her.  Joe Lestina, a special agent from the Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office, gave the jury a thorough review of how the arson investigation was conducted.

One piece of evidence in particular, an empty gallon bottle of Gatorade seized from Richards' DMC 99 apartment tested positive for gasoline residue.  Lestina said fire cause and origin experts ruled out everything that could cause an accidental fire, including a lightning strike and electrical malfunction.  Data collected from the scene indicated pointed the fire, which started in the woman's basement, was intentionally set "using an open flame on an ordinary combustible material," he said.

For more, see thehawkeye.com.

The trial of a 17-year-old Bremerton, WA, boy accused of setting a fire that caused an estimated $12 million in damage began Monday. Attorney Thomas Weaver says the boy was easily swayed by police questioning and the case hinges on inconsistent statements to police that don’t match the physical evidence.  Weaver said he will call a forensic psychology expert who gave the boy a psychological exam that shows he is highly susceptible to leading questioning under pressure. That expert is expected to testify Thursday.

The prosecution called a fire cause and origin expert witness who said an accelerant was used to start the July 27 fire.  Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Leila Mills will determine a verdict in the case. Juvenile cases are not argued before juries.

For more, see kitsapsun.com.

A fire cause and origin expert testified Wednesday that the Carondale, CO, County Road 100 wildfire started somewhere other than Larry Gerbaz's property in April 2008.  Jeffrey Berino, a senior fire investigator with an Arvada firm, said he concluded the cause and origin of the wildfire couldn't be determined because of a wide variety of factors. Berino, who was hired by Gerbaz's defense team, said he found evidence of “several” heels or possible places of origin for the fire when he investigated the scene last summer. “None of them are near Mr. Gerbaz's [wood] pile,” he said.

Gerbaz acknowledges he burned a wood pile at 1265 County Road 100 on Saturday, April 12. He claims he took precautions to make sure the fire didn't spread and made sure it was out before he left it unattended.  An investigation by the Garfield County Sheriff's Office concluded heavy winds on Tuesday, April 15, revived embers from the Gerbaz burn pile and started the wildfire. Gerbaz is facing one felony and one misdemeanor charge of fourth degree arson. Deputy District Attorney Ed Veronda called more than one dozen witnesses last week to build a case.

Excerpted PostIndependent.com. 

Carbondale, CO, Fire Chief Ron Leach testified as a fire origin expert Tuesday in an arson trial that he is convinced the County Road 100 fire in April 2008 originated on a ranch maintained by Larry Gerbaz.  The expert said the burn patterns left on grass, trees and vegetation trace back to a meadow at 1265 County Road 100, where there is a ranch maintained by Gerbaz. Strong winds prevailing from the west toward the east pushed the fire off that ranch and toward the Ranch at Roaring Fork subdivision and Catherine Store, he said.  The fire damaged three houses, burned one man and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents

Deputy District Attorney Ed Veronda started building a case Tuesday to try to convince the jury that Gerbaz was careless in his handling of a controlled burn even if he didn't intentionally let the fire get out of control. Gerbaz lit a wood pile on fire the weekend of April 12 and 13. When high winds kicked up the morning of Tuesday, April 15, Gerbaz was in Denver, both sides agree.

Excerpted from TheAspenTimes.com.

Christie Michelle Scott, 31, was convicted July 8 on three counts of capital murder for the Aug. 16, 2008, death of her 6-year-old son Mason Scott. The first count was that she killed the child for monetary gain - $175,000 in life insurance that included a $100,000 policy purchased 12 hours before his death. Count two was that she committed an intentional murder during a first-degree arson. Count three was that the victim was less than 14 years old.

Fire experts and investigators for the prosecution testified the fire began on or around Noah Scott's bed, but they were unsure how it was ignited. They also testified that the home's smoke detector was disabled before the fire. Prosecutors contend Scott disabled the smoke detector to prevent it from alerting her son to the fire. 

Excerpted from TimesDaily.com.

Jury selection begins today in the trial of a former volunteer firefighter accused of starting a fire that killed a mother and her three children in 2005. Frederick Anthony Robinson, 54, may face  the death penalty for setting the fire that killed a longtime friend of his, Crystal Johnson, 40, and her three children.  A judge on Friday denied the defense attorneys request for a delay in order for them to seek a new arson expert witness.  The judge also declined to allow testimony by an expert witness on false confessions.

A state trooper testified in 2005 that Robinson acknowledged setting the fire and said voices in his head told him to do it. 

Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com

A judge will rule on whether defense attorneys can hire an expert on false confessions for the March trial of Frederick Anthony Robinson, an Apollo, PA, man who is accused of setting a house fire that killed four people.  Attorney Chuck Pascal wants a forensic psychology expert to explain to a jury the pathology of false confessions.  The expert would discuss "why

people may falsely confess, how mental illness impacts that or may impact that," Pascal said.

Psychiatrists have diagnosed Robinson with schizoaffective disorder and say he has a history of psychiatric disorders and low intelligence. The expert, Allison D. Redlich of New York, is nationally known in the field and has agreed to testify next month on Robinson's behalf.

Excerpted from PIttsburghTribune.com.