Jury votes death for arsonist who accidentally killed 5

Jury recommends death in Calif. arson killings Man convicted of murdering five federal firefighters overrun by wildfire updated 2 hours, 3 minutes ago

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A jury recommended the death penalty Wednesday for a man convicted of murdering five federal firefighters who were overrun by one of several wildfires he ignited in Southern California in 2006. Jurors took less than a day to decide that Raymond Lee Oyler deserved to die.

Prosecutors cited the horrific pain the fire crew suffered and the terror the auto mechanic's fires caused in rural areas of Riverside County. After the verdict was announced, Oyler's daughter echoed his lawyers' claim that he never intended to kill anyone. "That was not in his mind. My dad is not this monster they paint him to be," 21-year-old Heather Oyler said outside the courtroom.

Oyler, 38, was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder, 20 counts of arson and 17 counts of using an incendiary device. At sentencing, set for April 3, the judge still could give him the punishment the defense had urged jurors to choose: life in prison without the possibility of parole. (snip)

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This guy wasn't trying to kill anyone though his actions certainly made that very possible. He's really no different from a drunk driver or speeder doing 100 mph who kills a whole family. But they usually get off with just a few years !!

He's really no different from a drunk driver or speeder doing 100 mph who kills a whole family.

IMO this guy is much worse. Reckless driving doesn't quite equal willful destruction.

I'm sure he's no monster but I think he deserves to die and I hope he does. These types of arsonists are rarely caught so they ought to seize the opportunity to make an example of this one. If he is executed it will send a message that may deter potential arsonists and save lives. Surely there is someone out there who would then be less likely to start a wildfire knowing that the death penalty could be on the table if they're caught. Regardless, the man should be held fully accountable for the misery and death he caused.

Good

Anyone who starts a forrest fire intentially should get death if it results in someone dying.

Imagine being burnt alive, imagine the pain these people felt.

I say soak him in gas and stick a 100 foot slow burning fuse on him and light it. Let him watch it inch towards him, let him suffer worse then those people did.

I disagree. I'm not necessarily in favor of the death penalty, but if I was, this guy would surely qualify. He deliberately set the Esperanza Fire in tinder dry brush during Santa Ana wind conditions. That's like going out and getting drunk as a skunk on purpose so you can drive the wrong way through rush hour traffic in a tank. This was no accident. He is responsible for the horrific deaths of those five USFS firefighters.

Oyler, 38, was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder, 20 counts of arson and 17 counts of using an incendiary device.

Oyler was convicted of setting numerous fires in rural areas of Riverside County in 2006. The fatal blaze, known as the Esperanza Fire, roared to life that October as fierce Santa Ana winds swept through valleys and mountains about 90 miles east of Los Angeles.

The crew of San Bernardino National Forest Engine 57 was overwhelmed after deploying to protect an unoccupied house perched at the top of a steep drainage in the San Jacinto Mountains.

Prosecutors showed jurors graphic photos of the firefighters: Jason McKay, 27; Jess McLean, 27; Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20; Pablo Cerda, 23, and their captain, Mark Loutzenhiser, 43.

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I do admit to being a bit biased on this one. Captain Loutzenhiser was the husband of a close friends' wife's sister.

Originally posted by jd140
Good

Anyone who starts a forrest fire intentially should get death if it results in someone dying.

Imagine being burnt alive, imagine the pain these people felt.

Ok - but what about a driver who intentionally drives drunk and hits another car and the car catches on fire and the occupants are burned alive! Should he get the DP too.? We all know he wouldn't as the hypocrite jury would say "hey man, i drive drunk myself. Let's call this an accident and let the killer go".

Death penalty or Life sans-parole; either way I'm satisfied. Willful destruction of nature/property and putting human lives at risk which ended up costing the lives of the people who volunteer to help others as a career.

F* this guy.