April 24--An arsonist who got a 15-year prison sentence for a 2010 blaze that injured six Detroit firefighters and paralyzed a seventh could get a lighter sentence because of an error by prosecutors, a federal appeals court ruled today.
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals today vacated the 15-year sentence for Samson Wright, 32, after the government admitted to making a sentencing mistake that wound up costing Wright eight more years in prison than his plea deal called for. Under the terms of Wright's plea agreement, he faced a maximum 84-month prison sentence but got 150 months instead, triggering an appeal.
"The government concedes error and moves to remand the case to the district court," the 6th Circuit wrote in today's order.
The ruling does not mean that Wright will be released from prison, only that the case will be remanded back to federal court in Detroit, where U.S. District Judge John Corbett O'Meara will decide whether to reject or accept Wright's initial plea deal. If the judge rejects the plea deal and decides to impose a sentence higher than the maximum allowed under its terms, Wright may withdraw his plea.
The development has the firefighters union reeling.
"I would say someone owes us an explanation to what happened," Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit firefighters union said today. "We don't understand."
He added: "Our members have life sentences, the ones who got hurt."
The legal case has been a sore spot for firefighters from the get-go. Initially, prosecutors intended to seek a 25-year prison sentence for Wright, but instead recommended the more lenient 15-year sentence because they said he cooperated and took responsibility for his actions.
"It's outrageous," McNamara told the Free Press in 2011 after learning about the shorter sentence. "People need to know that if you harm a public safety officer, you're going to pay the maximum."
Wright pleaded guilty in May 2011 to his role in the blaze at a Metro PCS store on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. A wall collapsed on seven firefighters, who suffered a wide range of serious injuries. Three of the firefighters were forced to retire, including Brendan Milewski, who was paralyzed.
According to evidence presented in court, Wright has had numerous brushes with the law and suffers from mental health issues. He testified against his codefendant, Calvin Jones, at trial. Jones was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Others injured in the blaze were Lt. Gerald Rutkowski, Shayne Raxter, Brian Baulch, Jeron Whitehorn, Eric Jurmo and Lt. Robert Puckett.
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