A man who police said was a homeless drug user will spend 12 years in prison for the death of a Houston Fire Department captain, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.
Jack Cordua, 44, pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in the death of HFD Capt. Grady Burke.
Burke was one of several firefighters trying to extinguish a blaze at an abandoned home on Brandon near Bellfort in February when part of the burning roof fell on top of him, trapping and killing him.
Prosecutors said Cordua set a bowl full of small objects on fire in order to see his crack pipe.
In court on Monday, Cordua said he was "extremely sorrowful" for Burke's death.
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