Indiana Man Faces 17 Felony Charges For Fatal Fire
Source Evansville Courier & Press, Ind.
May 03--After listening to a defense attorney argue that nine of the arson charges against Christopher Compton were unnecessary, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nicholas Hermann on Friday proceeded to file four more.
Compton, 31, is accused of starting a fire in a West Franklin Street apartment house that killed three people, including a 3-year-old girl.
He now faces 17 felony charges, including three murder and 14 arson charges.
Hermann has filed his intention to seek a life without parole sentence for Compton if he is convicted.
The March 17 fire at 29 W. Franklin St. killed Keri A. Jones, 28; her daughter, Jazmine M. Jones, 3; and Donald Lankford, 76 -- and injured 10 others, including Jazmine Jones' twin sister, Sierah N. Jones, and six firefighters.
Prosecutors had already filed an arson charge for each of the injured people and Friday filed an additional charge for each of the apartments damaged in the blaze.
He is scheduled to stand trial on Oct. 13 in Vanderburgh County Superior Court -- a date set Friday but likely to be delayed as the case progresses.
Public defender Jon Schaefer, who is assisting Chief Public Defender Stephen Owens in Compton's defense, argued Friday that Indiana law bars the filing of the multiple arson counts since they originated from the same incident.
"One fire and one property is one arson," he said.
Schaefer argued that the large number of charges against Compton would prejudice a jury against him.
Hermann countered that if prosecutors incorporated the names of each injured person into a single charge that it would be prejudicial also.
However, Schaefer responded that he didn't believe naming each person was necessary.
"I don't think they even need to allege who all was injured, they just need to allege someone was injured," he said.
Superior Court Judge Robert Pigman did not make a ruling on the request to dismiss the multiple arson charges Friday. He also took under advisement a defense request seeking permission to hire a separate investigator to help prepare for the penalty phase of the trial if Compton is convicted.
Similar to a death penalty case, in life without parole trials a jury would have to hear evidence and deliberate on recommending a sentence after convicting a defendant.
Attorneys also delayed the defense's request for a change of venue for the trial to avoid the effects of pretrial publicity. A 1 p.m. July 11 date was scheduled for that hearing.
Copyright 2014 - Evansville Courier & Press, Ind.
