Arsonist Sentenced to 3 Years Probation in Baltimore City
There’s a headline you probably won’t see in the evening news. Unfortunately, it’s the only punishment dolled out to the arsonist that set Amy’s and Lori’s house on fire last October. (FYI - Amy and Lori are Kim’s sisters, my sisters-in-law).
I’ve been reluctant to post about the ordeal online, primarily because writing about someone else’s misfortune can remind them of the pain of the incident. Also, the story is so detailed, it is hard to do it justice in a blog-sized post. That said, it’s been 6 months, and Amy said I can write about it, so I’ll give it a shot. The big question for the community is at the end - I hope you’ll weigh in.
In late October 2007, around 10pm, Amy and Lori were talking in their kitchen. A domestic dispute in the neighbors’ place had just died down. (These disputes were not uncommon and the wall between the units was thin). Apparently frustrated with the situation, the owner of the left side of the duplex, a man in his late 60s, left to go to the local bar. The woman living with him, in her 50s and apparently high on drugs, was so mad that she decided to light a fire in the back room on the first floor to get back at him.
Another neighbor saw the fire and thought it was an accidental kitchen fire. He came running in to help. The woman wouldn’t let him in, saying that she had lit the fire and wanted to let it burn! She then went outside to survey the damage and discovered the fire wasn’t burning fast enough, and that the fire department was audibly on it’s way. So, she went back inside and lit a second fire, this one on the second floor in the front of the house! The neighbor who tried to help put out the fire quickly alerted Amy and Lori – banging on the door and yelling (thank goodness!). In minutes, the left side of the duplex was engulfed in flames.
When the fire department arrived, they did what all firefighters do. They aggressively contained and extinguished the fire, which of course created more damage on Amy’s half. The picture on the right is of her master bedroom. We had spent months refinishing the upstairs. You can see the remains of the original pine floors beneath the ash. The combination of smoke, soot, and water damage in both homes is in excess of $150,000!
Amy has been working with the insurance company to get her half restored. That process has been long and arduous, but is finally under way and looking promising.
The police charged the woman with multiple crimes, but, the case never went to trial. This April, the arsonist agreed to a plea deal that allowed her to walk with only 3 years probation and a requirement to get mental health / drug addition treatment. Amy was not given any opportunity to testify.
As a result of the fire, Amy and Lori will be displaced for about 12 months, and of course could have been killed. We’re hopeful that insurance will completely restore the place, but that hasn’t been an easy road, either. Things are progressing now, and I’m hoping to do a great Before and After post when everything’s wrapped up.
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So my thought on this is that the arsonist should have been required to serve significant jail time - at least 1 year, and should have been sentenced to probation and community service after that.
What do you think? Was the sentence fair? Would any additional information make it easier for you to decide?
May 8th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Was the woman responsible required to PAY for the damage to the other half of the duplex? Honestly, I think she should be held responsible for the damages… ALL of them. Even if the insurance company does pay for all of the destruction, she should be required to PAY THEM BACK. All who have insurance through that company should not be required to help subsidize (through a rate increase) her level of criminality.
At the minimum she should be required to do HOURS upon HOURS of community service.
I can’t comment on jail time… but perhaps time in a mental health facility might help her, also.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Not too sure what else to add to Jennifer’s comment. However, it is clear that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Two homes and two lives were “destroyed” to some sense. Even if the woman does 10 years in jail, that doesn’t help your in-laws or the man involved. I think the arsonist here should be required to compensate the victims in some form, most likely money, as Jennifer suggested. This “sentence,” if you can even call it that, is unjust, plain and simple.
I’ll be praying for this situation. Hopefully, the insurance company(s) will fix it, at least as much as possible.
BJ
Stupid Scholar
Daily Bible Reflections
May 8th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Wow, that’s so terrible. I’m glad your sister-in-laws are OK. I think she definitely deserves a harsher punishment than that. Especially since she refused to let someone put out the flame and started a second fire on top of that.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Jennifer - I don’t think she was required to pay the insurance company. Of course, they could sue her for the $ but given that she doesn’t have anything, they won’t get anything. I agree that some mental health treatment would be good for her–but I hope that it does end up just being a “get the box checked” type of situation, where she’s quickly in and out.
Robin - Yeah - the second fire was over the top. Drugs do strange things to people - and I’m sure it was a combination of anger and drugs that produced this outcome.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I can’t believe that you can do all that and just get 3 years of probation…
May 8th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Mental issues and drugs don’t mix and could have contributed to the problem. If there is an honest condition with her mental facilities, then I don’t think we need to burden the already-over-crowded-prison-system with her nor do we need to spend tax payer money on a lost cause.
That being said, I think the woman should be 100% completely and utterly responsible for repaying every single cent of the damages as well as compensate the victim for her time, efforts, and suffering. With unemployment reaching a four year high, there is undoubtedly a job to be found out there in some form or another.
The financial burden should not be the victim’s. Put the guilty party to work, pay off the damages and make amends.
-Jon
May 8th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I think she got off to easy. She definetly needs to have so mental help. I know back in 1992 when my car was stolen and stripped to the point that it was almost untracable, the guy that was charged with stealing it only got a 6 month suspended sentence with not to many community service hours and only had to reimburse me for what was in the car and my rental. The car was completely paid for, but I only had had it about 7 months so when the insurance company settled, we lost money due to depreciation. I do know the insurance company ended up taking him to court, but don’t know the out come. So criminals unfortunately do get off to easily. I’m glad Amy and Lori made it out safetly and that things are beginning to look up for them.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:36 am
I’m glad Amy and Lori are okay; this could have been much worse. That said, I get so mad when I hear about things like this and the obviously guilty party gets off with something like “probation”. This was a willful act and the woman endangered many lives. There should be stiffer penalties.
I was hit by an uninsured drunk driver who sent me into the opposite lanes, where I was hit by two other cars and sent to the hospital. The driver fled the scene, ditched his car, and tried to escape on foot before police caught him. His punishment? Probation. My Jeep Wrangler was totaled and I still have pain-related issues. The other damaged cars needed thousands of dollars worth of repairs. This driver didn’t have to pay for any of it, and suing him wasn’t worth it because he didn’t have anything. It actually cost me money, because of the deductible and need to buy another car, and to top it all off, all of our insurance rates went up because of this driver–even though none of us were at fault; having any accident statistically put us in a different category. It wasn’t a lot, but still–I had to shop around for a cheaper rate after I received my renewal.
I believe that alcoholism/drug addiction are diseases–I’ve seen it in my own family–but I don’t think being under the influence of drugs or alcohol excuses your behavior. You are responsible for the choices you make, and should be responsible for setting everything right. After everything your sisters-in-law have endured, it’s a slap in the face to see the woman serving probation only. At the very least, she should be doing loads and loads of community service. Did she ever apologize for her actions or the suffering she caused?
May 9th, 2008 at 8:52 am
@BJ - (sorry this was delayed - wordpress held your comment for moderation). There are many crimes for which jail time does little for the victims. That’s not the only reason to jail someone though - there’s (1) fair punishment; (2) keeping that person from re-offending; and (3) deterring other criminals… I’m sure there’s even more. That said, after writing this and reading the responses, I like the idea of several years of community service better than jail time.
@Jon - There were definitely mental issues at play. After thinking about this more, I’m leaning heavily towards years of community service. It would keep her busy and allow her to pay back part of the debt to society.
@Lisa - It burns me up when the person is neither forced to “make it right” or to pay any equivalent penalty.
@Joanne - Very sorry to hear about your situation. I tend to agree with you here - addiction should not excuse you from your actions. I’m not sure if she apologized. Perhaps Amy will read this and weigh in.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Hey all, it’s Amy - the burn-ee. My belief is that the Lady that burned the house may have had unresolved mental issues reaching back to military service, but mostly what I believe pushed her over the edge was a combination of substance abuse, and domestic disputes that were becoming increasingly long in duration, and more violent - possibly on both parts. I am not saying that she isn’t responsible for her actions, because she was capable of making decisions for herself regardless of what her past experiences may have been, and decided to lean on the drugs and alcohol that night, and set two fires. I do not think that she was in any way trying to injure either my sister, or my house - we just happened to be attached to the object of her wrath - and she was high out of her mind. The woman had hit absolute bottom, and from stories I heard following the fire about her severe depression and desperation, I was able to see her with more pity, and empathy. My past experience with her (slight though it had been) had always left me with a favorable impression of her. The night of the incident, however she showed aggression toward Police, and Emergency responders that can only be described as the rage, strength, and level of lucidity of someone under the influence of MANY chemicals in her body.
I would have liked to receive some restitution for damages, but I never believed that I would get any, and I was told by the DA not to expect anything. An apology would have been strangely sufficient for me, but I don’t believe that I will get one of those any time soon. I believe that I need to be the one to extend my forgiveness first to her, if I can find her again, and do that without the expectation of receiving anything from her. It is something I need to do for me, and also for her, to move past the incident, and to possibly encourage her to embrace the help that she is being offered, albeit forcibly through the justice system. I believe that her life is much more important than my couches, or bedroom set, even though if I’m honest, I would much rather have them back than have been handed this life lesson!
Ideally the lady should have been required to do community service, especially since she is unable to make physical ammends, but this is, i think just one of those things that I let go of pretty quickly. What happens to offenders after they are caught is not really tied to the victims wishes at all, and that might be a good thing. There are so many other things to worry about in the rebuilding process, that I just haven’t even given her that much thought. What’s done is done.
If I have learned one thing from this situation, it’s that what goes on in your neighbor house is your business! It can effect you or your family, and change your life completely in as little as a half hour. Pay attention to what is going on with your neighbors, and don’t be shy about calling the cops if you think there is a problem! And by all means, be prepared for a fire, by protecting your important paper work. Fires are amazingly common, so do what you can to be ready - it really took a load off of my mind to know when the house was burning, that all my irreplaceable stuff was safe.
I have to say that the thing that really bothers me the most is just the amount of time it takes to get your life back together after something like this. There are just too many details, and like every main event in your life, what can go wrong, will go wrong! The patience aspect of the process is a speed bump that I keep having trouble getting over -but that’s what prayer, and strong coffee are for right?
I gotta give it up for Jesus, and the LEGAL STIMULANTS….neighbor lady, if you are reading this, next time let’s keep it Starbucks please!!!
May 10th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Amy, you are amazing!
May 13th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Wow. I can’t imagine. I suppose if I were to make the decision on the arsonist…
1. I’d have a psych evaluation. If she’s a nutter, well, that’s that. Can’t really force nature.
2. If she’s a straight up druggie, I’d push for at least 1 year in jail.
3. On top of #2, I’d consult a lawyer and sue her in civil court too.
Are they rebuilding NEXT DOOR to the freakazoid?
May 16th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Amy,
I told Fred your response was wonderful. I couldn’t think of the words that were needed to say what I wanted. I still can’t really, but wanted to let you know that it’s nice to see that you have put it in God’s hands. Vengence is mine saith the Lord. I know when we are able to give things up to God and let him take care of them, he will and does. He will deal with her the way she needs to be dealt with. Hopefully that will be getting the help that she really needs. Hope things don’t take to long and that you are able to move back into your house before you know it.
Lisa