FRANK ELTMAN
Associated Press Writer
MINEOLA, N.Y. - A volunteer firefighter was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Friday for setting a fire that killed a mother and three of her children, an arson that prosecutors said was the firefighter's attempt to look like a hero.
Caleb Lacey, who was convicted of murder, continued to insist in court that he was not guilty. Prosecutors said Lacey set the Feb. 19, 2009, fire several doors from his home because he wanted to be the first firefighter there.
Emotions ran high in the courtroom. Children who survived the fire were in the audience, crying. Edit Vanegas, who lost his wife, two daughters and a stepson, was in court but recorded his statement ahead of time because he was too distraught to read it in person.
Lacey was found guilty of four counts each of murder and manslaughter for setting the fire in a stairwell leading to apartments above a coin-operated laundry in Lawrence, N.Y. It was the only entrance and exit for tenants on the second floor; a fire escape had previously been removed from the building.
The fire killed Morena Vanegas, 46; her daughters Susanna and Andrea Vanegas, ages 9 and 13; and her 19-year-old son, Saul Presa. Edit Vanegas and two other young sons fled the apartment by climbing out a rear window.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.