Arrest made in Ohio State Fatal Arson Fire...
 

Unbelievable...

Arson ruled as cause of fire

By Jeff Polesovsky
The fire which killed five college students on 17th Avenue was determined to be arson.

According to local media, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien could not discuss whether there were suspects, but the deaths will now be treated as homicides.

Investigators said they ruled out all other sources which could have caused the fire, including a full-sized charcoal grill found on the front of the wooden porch, kerosene tiki torches and gas and electrical lines leading to the house.

(above from the OSU Lantern)

Aww man.......


:(


.....Kelly

That's really sucks. :( I hope they catch the people responsible for this tragedy.

Just when you think that the news can't possibly get any worse...

...it does.

:(

I hope the arsonist are caught and get the death penalty if they have it in Ohio.

:eek: This is unbelievable. I hope they find the person or people who did it.

On the 6:00 news it said that there is a $15,000 reward for information about who set the fire. Also, I believe OU's IFC, WPA, and NPHC has been approached about donating money to crime stoppers to add more money to the reward.

my heart breaks...
 

for the victims and their loved ones.
what form of human being would set such a fire...
my prayers and thoughts are with all.
:confused:

What evidence do they have of arson?

Just because there isn't any evidence of what caused the fire doesn't mean it is arson. It is difficult to prove the cause of a fire becuase most of the evidence is destroyed by the fire, fireman or high pressure water hoses.

I am confident that arson investigators know more about this than we do. The article didn't say that there was no evidence of any kind. It said that they had ruled out other causes. If the evidence were inconclusive, they'd say the cause was a mystery (they often do say this). They don't start up a huge homicide investigation unless they have real reason to suspect foul play.

Ivy

No they don't. I know for a fact that some of them are wrong. Last year there was a fire at my school. The local building inspector accused the student tenants of contributing to the fire. The following week the state police fire marshall did an inspection of his own and totally contradicted the local building inspectors conclusions.

This reminds me of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. When she first disappeared the police automatically assumed that the parents were responsible. They spent most of their time investigating the parents. They leaked stories to the press about the parents drug use and fact that they were part of some swingers club. When everything was said and done the police didn't know sh*t. Their original assumptions were 100% wrong.



Back to the original point. What evidence is there of arson? The fact that they don't know the cause? If they don't know the cause then how can they know it is arson?

All I can say is that this just makes me sick. It's bad enough to lose five young people to such a tragedy... but then to think that it may have been intentional! Wow, as the mother of two young girls it just makes me so sad to think of what their families must be going through.

This is such sad news. :(

There were some witnesses who claim to have seen an incendiary device thrown from a passing car just as the party was ending.

Otherwise, the local gas company has ruled out a gas leak, and the investigators have ruled out some Tiki Torches and a BBQ grill on the front stoop.

But, I think the main reason is that they've been talking about an accelerant possibility.

it's really just unbelievable........something like this is so unnecessary and wasteful of life that it just infuriates me............arson? that's bullsh*t. i hope they catch whoever did this...and soon.....

this is pretty damn depressing.

I hope they catch the arsonists.

:(

There was an article my schools paper the alligator earlier this week that said someone at the party lifted or pulled the refridgerator out of the wall and thats what caused there to be a natural gas leak....has then been disproven now?

Yes, it has.

The refridgerator was electric. The local gas company has totally ruled out any kind of gas explosion. Apparantely, there were words between the guy who tried to lift the appliance and probably residents -- but there was really no fight and the police had said, while they're looking into it, there probably is no connection between the verbal altercation and the arson.

There is some pretty good ongoing coverage at www.nbc4columbus.com

Is this the same fire where three Alpha Gam's were killed?

Unfortunately, yes. Two Ohio State University students also perished in the fire.

We are all still reeling over this news. I've been bombarded with emails from sisters looking for news updates, and there's nothing good to tell them. Its truly been a horrendous week for the victims' families, friends, and sisters. I wish them peace.

The only good news is that two more Alpha Gam sisters and one male OSU student were rescued by Columbus Firefighters.

As I read the stories, both women were treated and released from University Hospital, but one was later admitted to Columbus Children's Hospital. Her latest condition was "Good," so she is apparantely doing better.

Sounds like the Columbus Fire Department -- which has always been excellent -- and particularly the men who went into the burning building and literally carried the live victims to safety really did a wonderful and courageous job.

you're thinking of danielle van dam, not elizabeth smart

Heroism in the midst of a tragedy certainly saved lives...

Firefighters Say Fatal Fire Was Worst They've Seen
Coroner: Students Didn't Likely Die While Sleeping

UPDATED: 8:52 p.m. EDT April 18, 2003

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The four firefighters who rescued three college students from a rooming house said Friday that the blaze was the most horrible of their careers.

The crew of Engine 13 in Columbus talked about the weekend fire near Ohio State University that killed five other students. They said that they have never seen so much smoke and flame or felt such severe heat.

The firefighters had raced up a hill behind the house and up the fire escape. They went inside without hoses. People outside were yelling that there were people in the second-floor bedrooms.

Thick smoke covered the second floor.

About a minute later the firefighters had gotten the three students out and were on the ground. Then the second-floor hallway burst into flames, and the crew ran back inside with hoses.



"The rescue probably only took about a minute or a minute-and-a-half to get these three victims out," Columbus Fire Lt. Carl Jepson (pictured, right) said. "We were shorthanded with medics. We had them on the way, so what these gentlemen did was to start first aid on these victims -- to start to get them breathing again because a couple of them were unconscious."



"It was the most surreal thing I've ever seen in my life," firefighter Scott Kulpa (pictured, left) said. "I've never seen more fire. I've never seen darker, blacker smoke in my entire life."

"You can be a firefighter for 30-40 years. They train you to do that but you never think you're going to have to so it is something I'll never forget," firefighter Mike Burnheimer said.

The fire broke out before dawn Sunday at a house where a 21st birthday celebration had been held Saturday night for one of the victims, Alan Richard Schlessman.

He was one of two Ohio State students who lived in the off-campus house and were killed in the fire. Schlessman, 21, was from Perkins Township, near Sandusky. Kyle Raulin, 20, of West Chester, Ohio, also died inside the home.

Fire Victims Remembered

Three of the students killed were sorority sisters at Ohio University. Andrea Kali Dennis, 20, of Madeira and Erin M. DeMarco, 19, of Nimishillen Township near Canton, were visiting friends at the house, along with Christine Wilson, 19, of Dublin. Two students remain hospitalized, NewsChannel 4 reported.

Also Friday, Dr. Brad Lewis, the Franklin County coroner, confirmed to NewsChannel 4 that the five students who died were not in bed asleep, but attempting to find their way out of the house.

Lewis said that the five were burned, but smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning caused their deaths.

Lewis said that tests found the five students were drinking, but not impaired enough that it would have prevented any of them from escaping.

Police have set up a phone line to gather anonymous tips, interviewed those in nearby houses and passed out fliers advertising a reward for information.

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, Inc. announced Thursday morning that the reward for the arson is now up to $22,500, with contributions from the Ohio Blue Ribbon Arson Fund, Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, Ohio State and Northsteppe Realty, the property manager for the house. Tipsters can call the hotline at (614) 645-TIPS or (877) 645-TIPS and remain anonymous.

They have asked the public to turn over videotapes or still photographs of the fire or from a 21st birthday party that had ended about an hour before the blaze broke out.

Watch NewsChannel 4 and refresh nbc4columbus.com for continuing coverage.

just a thought
 

i was thinking that maybe we all could send a group donation for the reward.....don't know anything about how to go about it, but.....i feel like we all have been affected in some way, and maybe you all feel like me in that if you could contribute in some way other than prayers/cards/flowers (not that those aren't great!!) it would help.....


i don't know, though....ideas???

Carl Jepson, the Lt. from that article is a Sig Ep from Ohio Alpha at Ohio Northern University.

There is definately a somber feel to the campus - I'm not there all the time, but it is definately felt!

If anyone on GC is interested, I have the info on a scholarship fund set up to honor the memory of Christine Wilson. Please PM me if you'd like that info.

Christin

Here's an update from the Summer Ohio University Post published this week:

Police seek 'person of interest' in April Ohio State fire

by Laura Arenschield
For The Summer Post
laura.arenshield@ohiou.edu


Columbus police last week released a description of a man they think could provide information to solve April's arson near Ohio State University that killed five students, three of whom went to Ohio University.

But despite receiving what the office is calling a "good amount of tips," detectives still are no closer to solving the case.

Early in the Columbus police's investigation of the arson that burned down the house of an OSU student celebrating his 21st birthday on April 13, police found a fight had occurred over a refrigerator at the East 17th Street house. The individuals involved in the fight have been cleared.

The man Columbus police are looking for allegedly was involved in a separate altercation outside the house. Police spokesperson Sherry Mercurio said investigators do not know what the dispute was about.

"We've talked to hundreds of people about this investigation but we haven't talked to him," she said.

Police described the man as 20 years old, white, 5-foot 11-inches and weighing about 200 pounds. He has medium-length shaggy blonde hair and, the night of the fire was wearing a blue-black jean jacket with a "Snoop Dogg" logo on it with the letters "SDC" printed underneath.

Police think this person might have returned later that evening and set the fatal fire. Police also think he might have attempted a theft near the house the same night.

"It's our understanding that this particular person was involved in the altercation and later returned at the time of the fire," Mercurio said. "We don't know that he's a suspect. He's just a person we haven't talked to yet, so we're labeling him a 'person of interest.'"

The fire killed OU sophomores Erin M. DeMarco, 19, of suburban Canton; Andrea K. Dennis, 20, of Madeira; and Christine M. Wilson, 19, of Dublin. The women all were members of OU's chapter of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and had been in Columbus to celebrate the 21st birthday of one of the other people killed in the blaze.

The fire started at 4:05 a.m. April 13 near the front door of a house on East 17th Street in Columbus. Police are treating the five deaths as homicides after ruling the fire an arson April 15.

Columbus Police Department's homicide unit was reluctant to provide additional information about the case.

"Because of the crime, and the political nature of it, we're going to be very tight-lipped as to what we release," said Dave Harp, Columbus police department homicide detective.

Columbus police are asking anyone with information about the arson to call the Columbus Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Crime Stoppers, an anonymous tip line, at 614-645-TIPS (8477). An award of $34,000 is available to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest or conviction.

it's bee a while but you all will be happy to know
 

Man charged in arson at OSU

By Jordan Gentile
Enquirer Columbus Bureau

Robert Patterson is charged with arson and murder

COLUMBUS - A man who police said made his living stealing car stereos apparently picked a rooming house near Ohio State University at random to set the April 13 fire that killed five college students, including two from Greater Cincinnati, authorities said.

Robert Lucky Patterson, 20, was charged with five counts of aggravated murder, three counts of attempted aggravated murder and nine counts of aggravated arson.

Patterson set fire to a couch on the front porch of the rooming house, said Detective Mike McCann, the lead investigator in the case.

"He picked that house, as far as we can tell, at random," McCann said.

Authorities did not discuss a possible motive. "He'll have to answer that," McCann said.

The blaze killed two Ohio State students and three from Ohio University - including Andrea Kali Dennis, 20, of Madeira, and Kyle Raulin, 20, of West Chester Township. The victims had been among the 80 people who earlier had attended a 21st birthday party at the house for one of those killed.

Fire Capt. Steve Saltsman said more charges were likely.

Fourteen people were in the house when the fire started just after 4 a.m. Five died, six escaped uninjured, and firefighters rescued three others.

Three tips from the public linking Patterson to the scene led authorities to the suspect. He was arrested following a 3 1/2-hour interview with police Friday.

"He made statements that implicated himself in the fire," McCann said.

Police said they believe Patterson was involved in a fight or argument behind the house in the evening, and was spotted at the scene again around the time of the fire. He was not an Ohio State student but lived in the area. Police say Patterson supported himself by stealing radios from college students' cars and that he was stealing radios the night of the fire.

Although Patterson has the same last name as one of the students injured in the fire - Josh Patterson, an OSU student from West Chester - McCann said they were not related.

"There was no relationship with anyone in the house," he said. "He seemed to pick the house at random."

McCann said Patterson didn't confess. But, the detective said he "expressed remorse" and "was well aware of the tragedy" of the event.

Patterson has a minor arrest record and has lived in Columbus for several years but moved often, police said.

"He had no visible means of support other than stealing," McCann said.

Patterson made pizzas at Ohio State Pizza near campus for seven or eight months, but was fired before the blaze at the house, co-workers said.

They described Patterson as a heavy drinker who was easygoing but unhappy.

"He felt like his family didn't love him," Rich Alcott, 36, said while making pizzas Friday. "He was just a sad, sad person. He laughed all the time, but he didn't seem happy."

Patterson, who didn't have an attorney, was being held in the Franklin County jail Friday, said deputy Craig Brafford.

He was to be arraigned today, and prosecutors will ask that he be held without bond.

"We still consider him a danger to the community," said Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien.

He said no decision had been made on whether to seek the death penalty if Patterson is convicted of aggravated murder.

University officials praised the police for their diligence.

"To a university dealing with such a horrific crime, to bring people to justice is just terrific news," said Bill Hall, OSU's vice president for student affairs.

"Our sympathy and prayers go out to the families."

Patterson has taken a polygraph test, but police would not discuss the results. By the time of Patterson's arrest, police say they had interviewed him several times and that he was their only suspect.

Police notified the public two weeks ago that they were looking for a "person of interest" who might know something about the crime and described him as a 5-foot-11, 200-pound white male with blond hair who wore a dark jacket.

OSU President Karen A. Holbrook said late Friday that those at the college are grateful for the hard work and dedication of the investigators.

"From the start, investigators were unrelenting in their commitment to solving this crime, and they engaged the entire community to assist them in their efforts," she said. "The arrest is an important first step in helping our community bring some closure to this tragedy. The hearts of everyone in the Ohio State family remain with the families and friends of the five students who died.

"May they take some comfort in the arrest and know that their children, brothers and sisters will be remembered for their contributions to the lives of everyone they touched."

Enquirer reporter Kristina Goetz and the Associated Press contributed to this story.


http://www.enquirer.com/editions/200...loc_osu02.html

It is great that they have someone in custody facing murder, attempted murder and arson charges. Let's hope that justice will be swiftly served and that he will be punished, although it won't bring back the five people who perished in the blaze. Hopefully, he won't be out on the streets ever again causing more trouble than he already has.


http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/sad/suru.gif

Sounds like some really good work by the police and fire investigators.

If he is convicted, perhaps it will help the families, the campuses and the women's sisters at Ohio University in some small way.