 Murder trial begins for New York firefighter accused of killing family
WATERLOO, N.Y. (AP) — A volunteer firefighter went on trial Tuesday on charges he killed his estranged wife and their four young children by setting fire to their apartment.
Prosecutors argued in opening statements that Eric Parsons, 27, was motivated by a "need to control" his wife when he allegedly started the blaze in Romulus, a village in upstate New York.
Parsons has pleaded innocent to charges of arson and second-degree murder. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
The defendant's 23-year-old wife and their four children, ages 1 to 6, died in the blaze on Nov. 5, 2001. Parsons escaped with minor injuries.
Defense lawyer Robert Zimmerman said in opening statements that investigators "can't eliminate all possible accidental causes of the fire."
Parsons told police that his wife woke him when the fire erupted. He said he broke a first-floor window and climbed outside to create an escape route but couldn't get back in because of the intense heat.
The other three apartments in the two-story house were vacant, as was a house next door. Parsons said he was unable to get help in the darkened village of 350 people.
A week after the fire, authorities disclosed that a flammable substance was found in the charred ruins and classified the deaths as homicides.
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03-01-2003, 06:45 PM
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