arson

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Man's Retrial Thanks to Bad Fire Science Ends in Shocker

Ed Graf's retrial for murdering 2 stepsons in shed fire based on new arson science

(Newser) - In 1988, Ed Graf was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for killing his stepsons Joby, 9, and Jason, 8, in 1986 by locking them in a shed, dousing it with gasoline, and setting it on fire. Everything was there to prove the case against the Texas man, per...

Ex Charged With Arson After Lighting Up Teddy Bear

He cut up a second bear, too, say cops

(Newser) - A man who police say took out his aggressions on two teddy bears after a breakup is behind bars on arson charges, reports the Commercial Appeal of Memphis. The arson allegation is because 25-year-old Marshay Frenard allegedly doused one of the stuffed bears with lighter fluid and set it ablaze...

4 Boys Face Charges in Huge Stadium Fire

Including first-degree arson, burglary

(Newser) - Police say four boys are responsible for the blaze that turned Eugene's historic Civic Stadium to ash in Oregon. Though five boys were spotted near the stadium's press box before the fire, only four, ages 10 to 12, will be charged with first- and second-degree arson, criminal mischief,...

Black Churches Are Going Up in Flames

Churches in Georgia and South Carolina are among suspected arson cases

(Newser) - "Churches are burning again in the United States, and the symbolism of that is powerful." So writes Emma Green at the Atlantic after at least five mostly black churches went up in flames over the past week following the Charleston church massacre. Investigators say the blaze that badly...

Cops: Guy Tried to Burn House With Bowling Ball Bomb

Which is one way to foil bank from selling it

(Newser) - As the Sun-Sentinel puts it, "it's hard to stand out when it comes to crime in South Florida," but that's exactly what one 21-year-old Loxahatchee resident has allegedly done. Per the AP , Tyler Butler was arrested on charges of arson and using an explosive device after...

Cops: Woman Offers Man Massage, Sets Him on Fire

Then allegedly takes off in his van

(Newser) - A man's massage came with a decidedly unhappy ending in Harrisburg, Pa., Saturday: The man says Christina Leach, 27, offered him the massage in his home, then tied him to a bed, poured something flammable on his upper torso, and set him on fire. Leach, who allegedly then fled...

Puzzling Clues in DC Murders: Blue Porsche, Odd Text

Police say it's homicide, but much unknown about 4 found dead in burning home

(Newser) - With firefighters' discovery on Thursday afternoon of four bodies in a burning home in an upscale DC neighborhood, a mystery presented itself: Who were they, how did they die, and what's the possible connection of a blue Porsche? Police now say they have only some of the answers. The...

Police Seek News of Blue Porsche After Bodies Found

Authorities say site of house fire in DC is 'major crime scene'

(Newser) - Firefighters who responded yesterday afternoon to a blaze that authorities are calling "very suspicious" found four bodies inside the Washington, DC, home—and they're now seeking news of a blue Porsche that could be tied to the case. The fire was called in around 1:30pm; a neighbor...

Ex Arrested After 'My Wife Is a Cheater' House Explodes

William Lindauer stood unresponsive as house burned: neighbor

(Newser) - A Colorado house with "My wife is a cheater" scrawled twice on it exploded early yesterday in what was perhaps unsurprisingly deemed to be arson. Possibly even less surprising: who was arrested in connection with the incident. William Eugene Lindauer III, 31, a resident of the home who was...

Arsonists Hit German Paper That Ran Charlie Cartoons

Cops in Hamburger have busted 2 men

(Newser) - Police in Germany have detained two men suspected of an arson attack early today against a newspaper that republished the cartoons of French weekly Charlie Hebdo. The newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost said on its website the overnight arson attack destroyed several files in its archive, but didn't injure anyone. Hamburg...

Arsonist Tries to Hit Mrs. Doubtfire Home

But damage is minimal to surgeon's residence in San Francisco

(Newser) - The home used in the Robin Williams movie Mrs. Doubtfire had a close call with an arsonist last night, say police in San Francisco. Someone used gasoline to set fires at the front door and the garage, but the homeowner smelled smoke and was able to quickly douse the flames,...

Teen Burned Alive Said Last Words to Firefighters

Hacking group Anonymous says gangs were involved in her death

(Newser) - The horrific case of a Mississippi teenager burned alive has spawned new developments, including talk of her last words, hacks by Anonymous, and the possibility of a mysterious second person. From around the Web:
  • Moments before Jessica Chambers was doused in flammable liquid and set ablaze in her car near
...

Massive LA Fire Treated as Arson

Building under construction was controversial for pedestrian bridge

(Newser) - A huge blaze that destroyed an apartment tower under construction in downtown Los Angeles overnight is being investigated as possible arson, the LA Times reports. Such big fires are always treated as criminal acts, a fire captain says, but "it's very rare for the entire building to be...

Political Strategist Has House, Cars Blown Up

Strategist for pro-solar candidate loses all of his belongings

(Newser) - A political strategist in Louisiana saw his possessions go up in smoke this week when two firebombs blew up his cars and spread far enough to burn down his home, WWL reports via Fusion . Mario Zervigon, his family, and fellow tenants escaped their New Orleans apartment building on Thursday, leaving...

Man Accused of Arson in California's Raging Wildfire

37-year-old allegedly set fast-growing King Fire

(Newser) - A 37-year-old man is being held on $10 million bail and accused of deliberately setting a California wildfire that is now rapidly growing in size. Authorities aren't saying what led them to Wayne Huntsman or how he allegedly started the fire, only that an investigator followed up on several...

Cops: Teen Reads of 'Slender Man,' Tries to Kill Family

Lily Hartwell, 14, charged with attempted murder of mom, brother

(Newser) - A 14-year-old Florida girl admitted to setting her family's house on fire early yesterday after a "Slender Man" website got her riled up, police say. Lily Hartwell allegedly told police she was reading websites about the mythical online character that "made her upset about past bullying and...

24 Years Later, Science Overturns Arson Conviction

Han Tak Lee imprisoned for allegedly murdering daughter

(Newser) - In 1990, Han Tak Lee was convicted of murdering his daughter. Now, almost a quarter-century later, a judge says the 79-year-old's conviction rested on a scientific inaccuracy—and the former New York businessman is finally out of prison, the AP reports. According to a review of his case finished...

Teen Who Tried to Burn Parents Alive Gets 9 Years

He had been disciplined over Facebook posts

(Newser) - An Ohio teen who tied his parents' door shut and set his house on fire has been spared the maximum sentence after pleading guilty to arson and attempted murder. Mitchell Simon, who was 16 when he tried to kill his parents last fall after they disciplined him for skipping band...

Dementia Patient, 81, Held in Hospital Fire That Killed 21

South Korea fire raises concerns about safety regulations

(Newser) - A fire believed set by an 81-year-old dementia patient blazed through a hospital ward for the elderly today and killed 21 people in South Korea, mostly from smoke inhalation, police and fire officials said. The fire on the second floor of the Hyosarang Hospital in Jangseong county also injured seven...

Dad Who 'Killed Family' Had All-American Life

Darrin Campbell is caught buying fireworks on store camera

(Newser) - Surveillance video shows Darrin Campbell—the Florida dad accused of killing his family and himself and setting their house on fire—buying fireworks in a store three days before the tragedy, ABC Action News reports. Campbell was "calm ... like any other customer," said a salesperson who cashed out...

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