WATERLOO, N.Y. (AP) -- A volunteer firefighter was convicted of murder Wednesday for starting a fire that killed his estranged wife and their four children.
Witnesses testified that Eric Parsons threatened to kill his wife, Cheryl, if she ever left him and took their two daughters and two sons, ages 1 to 6. The fire occurred three days after his family moved into an apartment house in the Finger Lakes hamlet of Romulus in November 2001.
Parsons, 27, could get up to life in prison at sentencing May 6 for the arson and second-degree murder charges.
The prosecution depicted a violent and domineering man who kept his 23-year-old wife in line through repeated verbal and physical assaults.
``He got his wish, he kept his promise _ they're dead, he's not,'' prosecutor Richard Swinehart said in closing arguments. ``When she severed his control, she paid for it.''
The defense argued that fire investigators failed to prove ``beyond a reasonable doubt'' that Parsons set the fire. ``Bottom line is that we don't know how the fire started,'' attorney Robert Zimmerman said.
Traces of a flammable product, most likely kerosene, were found throughout the apartment, including the baby's cot and Cheryl Parson's hair and mattress. Particles also were found on Parsons' car seat.
Parsons was seen quarreling with his wife at the home the day before the fire, and as the fire began to consume the house, he appeared calm and never mentioned to a passer-by that his family was trapped, Swinehart said.
