Jan. 14--The list of fires reportedly started by the confessed Grove arsonist Bryan Lee Kitchen continues to grow.
Kitchen, 31, of Pullman reversed his previous plea of not guilty in U.S. District Court in Spokane last week, admitting guilt in malicious use of fire to damage property used in interstate commerce for setting the fire that destroyed four apartment buildings under construction in Pullman last July.
His change of plea was in return for a deal, offered by the U.S. Attorney's Office, that would reduce the amount of time he will serve in return for his cooperation with local law enforcement in settling a number of unresolved cases he was involved in, going back as far as 2000.
"We presented him with a history of cases and he was fairly candid in terms of what he was involved with and what he wasn't," Pullman Police Commander Chris Tennant said.
The list includes nine unresolved cases for the Pullman Police Department and eight for Washington State University Police, in which some 18 vehicles were burned, along with three residences, two garages, two bathrooms and two storage sheds. Two people were also injured in one of the blazes he confessed to from November 2007.
Tennant said detectives will be looking for corroborating evidence to support Kitchen's confessions, but he believes Kitchen has provided enough detailed evidence to close out most of the city's unresolved arson cases.
Under the terms of his agreement, Kitchen may not be held criminally responsible, but it doesn't address anything regarding civil liability, which Tennant said could be an avenue for others to seek restitution.
An April 15 date has been set for a hearing on the plea agreement, at which time U.S. District Judge Lonny R. Suko will review Kitchen's criminal history and make a decision on the deal.
If accepted, Kitchen is expected to serve about four years in prison, one year less than the five-year mandatory minimum typically required for such a charge. If rejected, his case will again be reviewed for trial and his guilty plea will be thrown out.
Copyright 2014 - Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho
