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Hood calm [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
00:01:43
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
00:01:49
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website it was relatively quiet on the night of
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October 10 1984 at oles home Santa a one-stop hardware shop located in South Pasadena California only store consisted
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of an 18,000 square foot building situated in an outdoor shopping plaza on the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and State
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Street the heavily trafficked intersection was in the north and neighborhood of Raymond Hill a quiet
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suburb with panoramic views across Pasadena and the nearby cities San Marino and Los Angeles this Thor was
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usually busy with a constant stream of customers shopping for building gardening and home improvement suppliers
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but on that evening the oils were near empty as most people were home in front of the TV eagerly waiting for the World
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Series baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres to begin at
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around 7:30 p.m. Billy and a daddy'll arrived at oles with their two and a half year old
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grandson Matthew Troy doll they were stopping by the store to pick up a few things and had promised Matthew that
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would treat him to an ice-cream just as soon as they finished shopping upon entering always ADA placed Matthew into
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a shopping trolley and began navigating for large store interior the shop was divided into multiple departments lined
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with oils of floor-to-ceiling shelving abundantly stocked with tools pain electrical items home wares and other
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home hardware merchandise Billy deal gradually separated from his wife and grandson venturing towards the other
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side of the store at around 8 p.m. 18 year old always employee Jim optim was nearing the front of the shop when he
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noticed the pillar of dark smoke emanating from one of the display racks he didn't notice any flames but the
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smoke was quickly growing thicker and darker Jim rushed down the aisles alerting
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customers and advising everyone to make their way outside the handful of other staff members on shift that evening took
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Jim's lead and passed on the evacuation message 21 lagging behind Billy deal was
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on the opposite side of the building to his wife and grandson when he first heard someone yell fire he looked across
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the store and was shocked to see anonymous cloud of smoke fast approaching Billy couldn't see a door or
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young Matthew anywhere and within moments the smoke became so thick and dark that he couldn't see a thing
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every time Billy yelled out aid his name the smoke filled his lungs making it difficult for him to breathe Billy had
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no choice but to make a break for the exit and desperately hope his wife and grandson had already made it safely
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outside across the other side of the store always employ a Jim Ogden past they'd a deal pushing Matthew in the
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shopping trolley and warned her they needed to leave Jim headed towards the front exit turning around to check
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evader and Matthew were behind him when suddenly the black pillar of smoke transformed into a blazing wall of fire
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the still door is designed to contain fire within certain departments of the store automatically dropped down from
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the ceiling into the electricity carrier making it impossible to see a thing panicked
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Jim doctor low to the ground holding his breath and feeling his way along the walls until he finally located the far
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exit in the back corner of the hardware department he burst outside desperately gasping for air when the cool night air
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hit him Jim felt the full force of what had just happened his skin blazed a roar with second and
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third-degree burns when he touched his wounded arm skin fell off as the fire intensified inside the store
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the remaining employees and customers raced was the emergency exit at the back of
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the electrical department the wave of fire roared behind them the momentous speed as they ran a flashover occurred
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flash overs are widely regarded as one of the most dangerous and dreaded things that can occur during a fire of such
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magnitude when certain organic materials are heated to extreme temperatures they
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release flammable gases that can cause an entire room to instantly burst into flames
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always home center was only three blocks away from the South Pasadena fire station so the shopping plazas
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surrounding parking lot was quick to fill with fire engines desperately trying to get the blaze under control as
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more firefighters arrived to attack the inferno Billy deal frantically searched the parking lot for his wife and
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grandson hoping they made it out safely neighboring apartment complexes were evacuated as the billowing smoke
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filtered inside a Red Cross shelter was established in the adjacent Pasadena War
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Memorial Building where the 100 evacuated with emergency assistance in the chaos it was determined that for
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people to all these employees Carol and Krause and Jimmy Cetina and two customers were unaccounted for
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Billy deal would soon learn that his wife Ada and grandson Matthew were the two customers missing the oles home
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center fire took 125 Los Angeles firefighters until midnight to get it under control they battled the dangerous
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conditions exacerbated when nearly an acre of roofing collapsed completely obstructing access to the store and
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eliminating the possibility of entering to save anyone trapped inside the fire continued to burn out until the
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early hours of the morning leaving nothing but a pile of ash and debris [Music] California is ranked as the US state
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most prone to wildfire with over 2 million households at extreme risk at anytime the state has seen some of the
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most devastating fires in American history this risk is highest in the state central and southern regions where
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the brush that surrounds the Los Angeles countryside contains tough leathery leaves and too volatile natural oils
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that are highly flammable combine this with a Mediterranean climate dry landscape drought resistant vegetation
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as well as the hot and strong Sunanda winds blowing from the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada desert and you have
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the perfect recipe for disaster in order to protect residents and property hundreds of millions of dollars are
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spent annually on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection still HEA thousands of fires
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destroy hundreds of thousands of acres with subsequent damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars wildfires can
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spark from a variety of sources from lightning to powerlines but these accidental causes are only responsible
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for a very low percentage of fires the large majority are generated by people some result from unattended campfires
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erratic burning of debris or negligently discarded cigarettes however many more Soniya to be deliberate acts of arson
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throughout the early 1980s a wave of wildfires swept through Central and Southern California significantly
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increasing the need for stricter fire control fires numbered in the thousands destroying hundreds of thousands of
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acres and racking up monumental damage bills Foothill brushfires within the Glendale
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region in the state south will widespread with investigators estimating that at least 80% were deliberately lit
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a majority of the fires took place within the affluent area of Chevy Chase Canyon in the San Rafael Hills a locale
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that boasts impressive real estate on significant blocks of land luckily most burnt-out all were contained before any
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significant damage occurred but the problem was endemic enough for the Glendale Fire Department to realize
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higher precautions and greater resources were needed at the time local police handled all arson cases for
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the City of Glendale but with this recent spate of deliberately lit fires the fire department wanted to develop a
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specialized arson investigation unit and appoint a full-time investigator word got out that the department was looking
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to hire and dedicated arson investigator who would report directly to the head of
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the fire prevention Bureau despite being a great career move the position didn't
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gun a much interest amongst firefighters as it sounded more like police work however there was one applicant in
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particular who stood out as a desirable candidate for the position a member of Glendale Fire Prevention Unit named John
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Leonard or Jonel was a determined and tenacious man who took fire control incredibly
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seriously after serving in the United States Air Force his dream was to join the Los Angeles Police Department but
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after failing the entrance exam he settled for a job as a department store security guard where he thrived at
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detecting shoplifters determined to establish a respected career in any area of law enforcement or emergency services
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Jon was accepted into the Glendale Fire Academy in 1974 where he successfully passed a training program to become a
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full-fledged fireman by his early 30s John had made a name for himself with the impassioned and sometimes
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unconventional approach he took towards catching residents who recklessly avoided their weed abatement
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responsibilities he was a rare breed a firefighter whose real passion seemed to lie with police work during the Glendale
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Fire spree jon was highly regarded for his dedication to his role within the fire
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prevention unit diligent and hardworking he always made the effort to attend and
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examine the scene of fires within his jurisdiction regardless of whether or not he was officially on Judy it was at
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the side of one of the Glendale hillside fires where John discovered an incendiary delay device made from
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cigarettes and a matchbook an incendiary delay device is a contraption specifically designed to start a fire
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while leaving enough time for the arsonist to flee the scene John's discovery was impressive as the Glendale
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Fire Department had failed to locate any evidence of arson at the hillside fires
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up until that point earning John a big accolade when it came time to a point of full-time arson investigator John Orr
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was the obvious choice john was thrilled with his promotion and took on his new responsibilities with
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gusto he loved the problem-solving elements that came with investigative work as it
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made him feel like the policeman had always longed to be by 1982 an article in the American fire journal reported
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that since the inception of glendale's arson investigation unit arson cases in Glendale were being cleared at a rate 21
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percent higher than the national average this was great recognition of the work John was doing and encouraged him to
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work even harder the job of an arson investigator is particularly challenging arsonists are notoriously difficult to
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catch as they typically act alone and are quick to flee the scene of their crimes evidence that could be recovered
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from a crime scene is usually destroyed in the fire and without a reliable witness or CCTV footage the chances of
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identifying a suspect a slim in order to succeed in an arson investigation role one needs to profoundly understand the
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traits of an arsonist and to the motivations behind their crimes to further his career John Orr started
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conducting his own research into the mindset and behavior of arsonists and pyromaniacs as his credibility grew he
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used his experience to educate others his opinion became so widely respected that he had several articles published
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in esteemed industry publications and his insight was often requested at the scene of arson fires outside of his
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jurisdiction it was 7:45 p.m. on October 10 1984 when John Orr was requested to attend to the
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aftermath of a small retail fire that had broken out at the Albertson's market store in Pasadena
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upon inspection he determined the fire had been intentionally started in a rack of potato chip bags when the vegetable
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oil and flammable packaging combined to create the perfect fuel after finishing his investigation John made his way home
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his route took him through Raymond Hill in South Pasadena where he noticed the chaos unfolding on Fair Oaks Avenue
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where Ollie's home center was ablaze although John wasn't prepared with any of his firefighting equipment he stopped
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to offer his assistance the scene was a hive of activity as over a hundred firefighters fought the monstrous
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inferno John stood back as to not disrupt his colleagues and began taking photos of the scene imagery of life
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fires was a useful asset for training seminars to show just how quickly a fire can expand to engulf a building south
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Pasadena's fire chief jean marie was assuming command of the oles fire when he was notified that another retail fire
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was in progress at Vons market just three blocks away the oles fire required chief Murray's full attention
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so after spotting John or Marie asked the Glendale asked an investigator to help him out by heading to Vaughn's
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market to conduct an investigation on his behalf John obliged and upon inspecting the scene at Vons market he
00:18:05
determined that the fire had also been intentionally lit in Iraq of potato chip bags just like the fire earlier at
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Albertson's market although both retail fires were contained before any serious damage occurred their similarities and
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close proximity led John to suspect a serial arsonist there was active in the area afterwards John returned to the
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oles home Center blaze which had by morning consumed the entire building 50 year-old aide a deal and her
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two-year-old grandson Matthew Troy doll never made it out the rapid and relentless fire had claimed two fair
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lives along with the lives of two old lease employees 17-year old high school student and talented baseball player
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Jimmy Cetina and 26 year-old a married mother of two Carolyn Kraus investigators entered the
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remnants of the building to begin the difficult task of locating the bodies of the four victims and trying to determine
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what had caused the catastrophic blaze sergeant Chuck Palmer from the arson and explosive unit of the Los Angeles County
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Sheriff's Department was designated to lead the investigation he interviewed all these employees to gain an
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understanding of the layout of the store and to learn where the smoke had first been spotted after just 90 minutes of
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investigation sergeant Palmer suspected that an electrical shorting in the building's attic was the likely source
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of the fire he determined the combustible materials within the store had worked as powerful fuel turning the
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blaze into a disaster John Orr expressed concern the sergeant Palmas investigation was moving too fast and
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believed more time should be spent to consider all possible causes including arson John spent seven hours conducting
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his own investigation of the scene thoroughly examining the damage and considering the fires possible point of
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origin unlike sergeant Palmer's conclusion John suspected the fire could have originated
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from a pool of highly combustible poly foreign products he based this suspicion on several other arson fires that had
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occurred in the Greater Los Angeles area over the past few years given the to market fires that had
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broken out nearby on the same night John Orr expressed his opinion that the oles
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fire could have been started by a serial arsonist despite John Orr's theory as sergeant
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Palma was leading the investigation he made the final call much to John's disappointment
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Palmer ruled the fire as accidental and the case was closed John Orr complained about the oles
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investigation ruling to Dennis Foote and asked an investigator from the Los Angeles Fire Department John was not
00:21:17
someone whose opinions on the matter could be easily dismissed his career was spent conducting research into arson
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profiling he had a unique understanding of the mind of an arsonist which he perceived to be far more complex than
00:21:31
that of a simple vandal in one article published in the American fire journal about the habits of serial arsonists
00:21:40
John wrote quote the fire becomes a friend they can relate to their fires bring attention friends admiration as
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heroes and self esteem like a drug addict one good score leads to the desire for another John's work delivered
00:22:03
innovative insights into the motivations of serial fire starters his training sessions were popular amongst his peers
00:22:11
providing valuable information and techniques on how to identify this unique type of perpetrator and improved
00:22:18
conduct when inspecting scenes of suspected arson so when John Orr told Dennis Foote his belief that the oles
00:22:25
home sent a blaze could have been started by the same polyfoam arsonist that it's
00:22:30
throughout Los Angeles over the past four years foot had a little reason to doubt John suspicions
00:22:38
Dennis foot was familiar with the polyfoam arson fires John was referencing as he had attended the scene
00:22:45
of one of them there he found two the remnants of an incendiary delay device amongst the
00:22:51
debris the device consisted of a cigarette butt with three matches attached to it by a rubber band this
00:22:59
kind of device is designed to give the arsonist plenty of time to flee the scene as the cigarette takes about 15
00:23:06
minutes to burn down before igniting the matches and setting fire to any flammable material in the vicinity when
00:23:14
such a device is recovered that's rare to find a full fingerprint or any other information that can be used to identify
00:23:21
the arsonist a few days after the oles disaster and minor fire erupted in the polyfoam
00:23:30
section of a hardware store 17 miles away in North Hollywood after learning of this fire
00:23:37
Dennis Foote became increasingly intrigued by John Orr's theory that a serial arsonist was still active in the
00:23:44
community Foote was interested in reinvestigating the oles incident but the building's
00:23:50
charred remains had since been almost completely cleared by a wrecking company two months after the tragic fire that
00:23:59
claimed four lives another roley's home center located in nearby Pasadena had a scare of its own a member of staff found
00:24:09
a partially burned incendiary device in a pile of poly foam the device which consisted of a cigarette and three
00:24:17
matches bound together with a rubber band had been lightly singed but failed to ignite given that the South Pasadena
00:24:26
oles fire had officially been ruled accidental the two all these fires were not linked
00:24:37
On January 13 1997 arson investigators from all over the state made their way to Fresno the city 220 miles north of
00:24:48
Los Angeles for the California conference of arson investigators a range of topics relating to different
00:24:55
aspects of law enforcement and fire investigation would be covered at during the three-day seminar 242 attendees
00:25:03
gathered for the event including arson investigators firefighters insurance investigators
00:25:09
lawyers and members of the police force as the first evening of the conference was underway an employee at a nearby
00:25:20
pharmacy pay less drugs noticed smoke rising from a pile of sleeping bags within moments the display burst into
00:25:29
flames the stores interior was fitted with overhead sprinklers which were quickly activated promptly extinguishing
00:25:37
the blaze the following day the Hancock Fabrics craft store located directly across the street from Payless Drugs
00:25:45
experienced its own fire emergency a customer noticed smoke rising up in the northwest corner of the building before
00:25:53
it erupted into violent flames that quickly spread along the walls and ceiling the store was evacuated and
00:26:00
shoppers and employees watched in shock as the building turned into a blazing inferno no one was seriously hurt but
00:26:08
the shop was almost completely destroyed the point of origin for the Hancock Fabrics fire was identified as a storage
00:26:17
bin filled with styrofoam pellets typically used for stuffing pillows and beanbags investigators conducted a
00:26:25
diligent search of the remains and discovered an incendiary delay device made from a partially burned cigarette
00:26:32
with three matches attached to it by a rubber band as Fresno investigators pondered the
00:26:40
link between the fires at Payless drugs and Hancock Fabrics a third fire was reported to authorities this one
00:26:48
occurred at another craft retail outlet House of fabrics just a block away from the previous fires a house of fabrics
00:26:57
employee noticed the burn marks scorched into the wall behind a bin filled with foam pillows and when they looked inside
00:27:04
found an incendiary device made from a cigarette matches and a rubber band it was sheer luck that the fire had
00:27:13
extinguished itself before causing any destruction then on the final morning of the California Conference of arson
00:27:22
investigators a fourth fire broke out this time in the town of Tulare about an hour's drive south east of Fresno at
00:27:32
10:45 a.m. a fire arose in a display of sleeping bags at outdoor adventure retail store surplus city just 45
00:27:42
minutes later at the family bargain center thrift store also in Tulare an employee noticed smoke coming from a
00:27:49
wooden display being filled with foam pillows the store manager quickly extinguished the fire found at the
00:27:57
bottom of the bin was a partially burned cigarette tied the two matches and a yellow note paper with a rubber band
00:28:08
despite the similarities the fires in Tulare and Fresno were not immediately linked most Californian cities are
00:28:16
equipped with their own fire department solely responsible for handling emergencies within their designated
00:28:22
region therefore they are not made immediately aware of fires occurring in differing jurisdictions when a third
00:28:31
Central Valley City was struck the connection between the attacks continued to go unnoticed hours after the Tulare
00:28:40
attacks the fire department in Bakersfield Hasid en hours drive south was summoned to the art and craft store
00:28:46
craft at 2:00 p.m. a staff member noticed flames flickering in a display bin full
00:28:53
of dry materials used for making floral arrangements due to the employees prompt observation
00:29:00
and the quick thinking of the store manager the fire was swiftly put out with a fire extinguisher
00:29:07
Bakersfield Fire Department captain Marvin Casey arrived to the craft Mart scene and immediately examined the chart
00:29:14
display bin hidden under the white powder left by the fire extinguisher he found an incendiary device a
00:29:22
cigarette butt three matches rubber band and a partially singed shade of yellow notebook paper there was a significant
00:29:32
discovery as a large section of the notebook paper was still intact wearing gloves and using a pair of tweezers
00:29:39
Casey carefully placed each piece of the device into evidence envelopes and sealed them shut only 30 minutes after
00:29:52
the Krasnaya blazed the Bakersfield Fire Department was alerted to a second emergency and yet another Hancock
00:29:58
Fabrics store a staff member heard a hissing noise coming from a display being filled with foam rubber padding
00:30:05
almost immediately to being erupted into blue flames which quickly spread up the
00:30:11
wall and triggered the overhead sprinklers captain Marvin Casey was in a state of disbelief when he arrived on
00:30:19
the scene two fires occurring in Bakersfield retail craft stores within an hour of one another was unheard of he
00:30:27
believed it was too unusual to be a mere coincidence suspecting the spree was the
00:30:32
work of a serial arsonist it wasn't until case he spoke to investigators in Fresno that he learned
00:30:39
of the almost identical arson attacks that had taken place days prior in Fresno and on the same day in Tulare DMO
00:30:48
of each attack was exactly the same retail stores were targeted with the fire started by matching incendiary
00:30:55
devices placed within highly flammable products suggesting that all fires had been started
00:31:01
by the same offender given the alleged crimes occurred over multiple Californian jurisdictions the case was
00:31:11
assigned to federal law enforcement specifically the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
00:31:18
like most arson attacks there was very little evidence and no suspects said the case presented a challenge although
00:31:27
several incendiary devices were recovered the only promising piece of evidence was the near intact remains of
00:31:34
the one found on the scene of the Bakersfield craft Mart fire as it was the only one that held hopes of
00:31:39
returning a fingerprint the incendiary device was sent to undergo testing surprisingly a viable fingerprint was
00:31:49
found on one of the pieces of yellow note paper attached to the device the print was run through the criminal
00:31:55
database but failed to return a match confirming the arsonist didn't have a criminal record with the unidentified
00:32:05
fingerprint leading nowhere the arson investigation officers from Bakersfield Fresno and Tulare started focusing on
00:32:13
whether there could be any significance in the locations of the attacks each thought targeted was along Highway 99 a
00:32:21
major state highway that runs north to south stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley
00:32:29
investigators considered the likely possibility the arsonist to used Highway 99 as their route to each target
00:32:36
starting in Fresno then traveling southward striking at Tulare then Bakersfield the spree was made all the
00:32:46
more remarkable given its proximity to the California Conference of arson investigators occurring in Fresno at the
00:32:52
time captain Marvin Casey developed the theory that the arsonist may have purposely targeted the area because of
00:33:00
the conference he suggested the offender could be someone with a personal vendetta against the firefighter or
00:33:06
someone with expert knowledge of fires and delay devices who wanted to play the investigators for fools
00:33:13
he even considered the chilling possibility the offender may have attended the conference in some capacity
00:33:22
propelled by this theory Cayce contacted the Fresno conference facilitator and obtained a list of all 242 or 10 days he
00:33:32
cross-referenced this list against teacher ten days place of employment determining those who would have had the
00:33:38
drive southward down Highway 99 to return home from the conference passing directly through Tulare into Bakersfield
00:33:45
along the way knowing that arsonists are solitary creatures he also considered how many of
00:33:52
those attendees were traveling alone after crossing out the names of those who didn't fit this description only 55
00:34:00
names remained KC presented his theory and the 55 names to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms team but it
00:34:10
was not well received the special agents assigned to the case were uncomfortable
00:34:15
with the idea of viewing the well respected conference attendees as suspected criminals and saw no merit in
00:34:21
proceeding with an inquiry the theory was dismissed and with no other leads to follow the investigation hit a dead end
00:34:30
and the case went cold in March 1989 another arson investigation conference took place in
00:34:43
Pacific Grove an oceanside city in Monterey County on California's west coast attendees looked forward to the
00:34:52
conference not just for the event itself but because the route the Pacific Grove
00:34:57
took travelers through areas of striking Beauty exclusive golf courses and a charming seaside towns many participants
00:35:06
chose to extend to their trip for a few extra days to make the most of the journey on the evening of March 3 two
00:35:14
days before the conference was scheduled to begin a fire broke out in the back corner of Cornett variety store in Morro
00:35:21
Bay a coastal town 145 miles south of Pacific Grove flames emerged from a pall of foam pillows before being promptly
00:35:31
extinguished by a quick-thinking sales clerk the following day in the city of Salinas 90 miles east from Pacific Grove
00:35:41
a Woolworths five-and-dime variety store was significantly damaged by a fire that
00:35:46
had started in the stores bedding section no further fires were reported until March 9 the day after the
00:35:54
conference a retail fire spree hit several towns along Highway 101 a major north to south coastal road that links
00:36:03
the San Francisco Bay Area to the Greater Los Angeles region the stores targeted included Pacific home
00:36:11
improvements coast-to-coast hardware and a second Cornett variety store in the city of Atascadero a two-hour drive
00:36:18
south from Pacific Grove each of these fires were started with in various foam rubber and plastic products but had been
00:36:27
quickly extinguished no consistent witness reports were provided and only one piece of worthwhile evidence was
00:36:34
recovered the charred remains of an incendiary device found by an employee at Pacific home improvements it
00:36:42
consisted of a cigarette three matches and a yellow note paper tied together with a rubber band
00:36:52
soon after these events a fire was reported a 20-minute drive south in San Luis Obispo at the party exchange of
00:37:00
retail store selling gifts decorations and party suppliers this place was far more destructive completely destroying
00:37:08
the building investigators suspected the fire had been deliberately lit inside a
00:37:14
pile of packing material when word of this Central Coast fire spray spread throughout the arson
00:37:22
investigation community captain Marvin Casey couldn't believe what he was hearing he immediately noticed the
00:37:29
similarities between the current spray and to the Central Valley spree from two years prior where fires were
00:37:35
deliberately led inside retail stores in Fresno Tulare and Bakersfield both fire sprees occurred within the
00:37:43
vicinity of an arson investigation conference leading KC to return to his original theory that the perpetrator may
00:37:50
have been an attendee yet both discreetly Casey contacted the Pacific Grove conference organizers to request a
00:38:00
list of all attendees he then cross-referenced it against the list of the Fresno conference attendees and a
00:38:06
narrowed the names down until only ten remained belonging to persons who had attended both events Casey then
00:38:15
contacted the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and once again presented his theory that the serial arsonist
00:38:22
could be targeting the conference participants all be involved with the events in some capacity yet just like in
00:38:30
1987 his speculation was not met with enthusiasm however with no other promising leads for the Central Coast
00:38:40
fires burry the bureau agreed to quietly run the fingerprint obtained from the incendiary device found at the 1987
00:38:48
Bakersfield craft Mart fire against the fingerprints of the ten participants on Casey Celeste
00:38:55
as each of Casey's 10 suspects were Public Safety employees their fingerprints were stored on file in a
00:39:02
separate database as part of a standard employment requirement once again the fingerprint comparison
00:39:09
returned a zero matches its owner remaining a mystery still having no evidence to back it up
00:39:17
KC's theory was dismissed for the second time in late June of 1990 another arson
00:39:28
investigation convention was held in Fresno glendale's dedicated arson investigator
00:39:34
John Orr usually looked forward to these events as a chance to share his knowledge and network with colleagues
00:39:40
but he had a lot of work on his plate as he had recently been promoted to fire captain a position well earned after
00:39:48
scoring 98% on the written exam Jones sent his partner John Yaeger to attend at the conference in his place while he
00:39:57
held down the fort in Glendale it was one of the hottest driest summers Glendale had experienced in a long time
00:40:06
and the strong winds were keeping everyone on high alert several deliberately lit fires had
00:40:13
recently broken out amongst the foothills and the arson investigation unit wasn't having luck identifying any
00:40:19
suspects John Orr wanted to remain in Glendale in case there were any developments in the case
00:40:26
On June 27 the temperature soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with winds blowing 35 miles per hour it was the
00:40:36
kind of day firefighters dread where the elements align and a fire disaster seemed imminent at 324 p.m. the Glendale
00:40:48
Fire Department received an alert that a brush fire was making its way up the hill near north Paducah road in
00:40:54
glendale's College Hills neighborhood fire engines raced to the scene but the conditions were too erratic and the fire
00:41:02
was already blazing out of control by the time they arrived flames were jumping from the roof of one house to
00:41:09
the next making their way up the hill saw it as the smoke became so heavy it was impossible to see through due to the
00:41:17
weather conditions and overgrowth of I brush the fire moved faster than most members of the fire department had ever
00:41:24
seen before with flames rapidly sweeping up before crossing the Glendale freeway
00:41:32
firefighters from every jurisdiction in the San Gabriel Valley rushed to the scene their engines blocking every
00:41:38
straight as smoke and ash encased the sky sirens and air horns echoed through the area as police established
00:41:46
barricades and tried to keep frantic residents at a safe distance the names of children and pets were yelled by
00:41:53
de-stressed witnesses watching as helicopters circled above dropping gallons of water onto the inferno as
00:42:02
firefighters desperately tackled the flames John Orr wasted no time keep starting his investigation into the
00:42:09
cause of the blaze straightaway he followed the charred path of the fire to locate the point of origin
00:42:16
when he identified the fire starting point he barricaded the area as a crime scene based on the burn patterns had
00:42:25
appeared the fire had been started at the bottom of a ravine where the winds quickly drew the flames up the hill by
00:42:35
the time the winds finally died down and firefighters extinguished the blaze the
00:42:40
College Hills fires had completely destroyed 46 homes damaged 20 others and caused 50 million dollars in damage
00:42:49
given the extent of the fires it was a miracle that nobody had been killed or seriously injured the lack of any
00:43:01
significant discoveries at the scene was not unusual for a fire of this magnitude
00:43:06
but we've had a breakthrough this would be a tough case to crack johnross spoke about his investigations
00:43:14
to the press during which he revealed insider information about the fires point of origin
00:43:19
this action drew ire from his colleagues who wish to treat that information sensitively and they were concerned that
00:43:28
publicly revealing intimate details of the crime would alert the arsonist that the authorities were on to them a
00:43:36
detective from the Glendale Police Department joined John Orr in door knocking the apartment building across
00:43:41
from the fires point of origin to question potential witnesses one resident reported seeing a five foot ten
00:43:49
dark-haired man in khaki pants standing across the street before the brush fires
00:43:54
began this description was noted but didn't lead anywhere until a phone tip line was established
00:44:02
for anyone who had any information but nothing of great use came through by August the calls had dried up entirely
00:44:11
with no leads handed no evidence had seemed highly unlikely that the person responsible for starting the college
00:44:18
Hills fires would ever be identified as there was no shortage of other fires under investigation
00:44:27
the Glendale arson unit had no choice but to focus its attention on other more pressing matters John or hindered the
00:44:35
job of interviewing locals over to Glendale Police and ended his active role in the investigation his partner
00:44:43
wasn't happy with this decision the John dismissed his concerns stating he had too much paperwork to focus on adamant
00:44:51
the arson unit should continue an in-depth investigation John's partner brought this up to the chief but
00:44:57
eventually as with many suspected arson cases the College Hills Fire was shelved
00:45:03
amongst the many unsolved case files a few months after the college Hills catastrophe a series of 19 arson attacks
00:45:18
overwhelmed the Los Angeles area occurring between December 1990 and March 1991 most fires happened during
00:45:28
the middle of the day within retail stores in piles of highly combustible materials including blankets pillows
00:45:36
foam and plastic products several buildings were destroyed with the arson attacks racking up a significant damage
00:45:45
bill and putting many employees out of work the remains of incendiary devices consisting of cigarette butts matches
00:45:54
rubber bands and a yellow note paper were found on the scene at several of the fires this arson spree was
00:46:03
unprecedented in Los Angeles multiple attacks had occurred within the same day and there had even been two attacks
00:46:10
within one hour witnesses reported seeing people of varying descriptions on the scene before the blazes broker but
00:46:18
none of the descriptions were consistent and to no suspects could be identified this spate of arson attacks was so
00:46:27
extreme that a task force was formed to focus solely on the case it was named the pillow pyro task force after the
00:46:35
offender's proclivity for starting fires within displays of pillows and foam the
00:46:42
task force assembled a group of investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms the Los Angeles
00:46:48
Fire Department and other local agencies to brief them on the recent spate of arson attacks and the perpetrators mo a
00:46:57
flyer was distributed to the meeting attendees which listed 17 of the Los Angeles fires believed to be started by
00:47:04
the pillow pyro along with a detailed description of the arsonists signature incendiary device
00:47:12
during the meeting it was brought to the task force's attention that a series of
00:47:17
similar attacks had taken place in central California back in 1987 and in 1999 the ones in Fresno Tulare
00:47:26
Bakersfield Morro Bay Salinas Atascadero and San Luis Obispo the mo and signature
00:47:35
device for these attacks matched the elusive pillo pyro to a tee the taskforce was informed that a traceable
00:47:43
though unidentified fingerprint had been recovered from an incendiary device found at one of the Bakersfield stores
00:47:50
he gotta follow this lead the pillo pyro Task Force made its way to Bakersfield to meet with captain Marvin Casey the
00:47:58
investigator who originally discovered the incendiary device that the Bakersfield craft Mart fire in 1987
00:48:08
Marvin Casey relayed his long-standing theory to the taskforce that the arsonist may have been an attendee at
00:48:14
the Fresno and Pacific Grove arson conventions but like others before them the pillo pyro task force wasn't buying
00:48:22
it the idea had been proven to be without merit when the fingerprint taken from the incendiary device failed to
00:48:29
match with any of the 10 names on KC's potential suspect list however the task force figured it was worth running the
00:48:37
fingerprints through the criminal database for a second time in case the offender had since been busted for
00:48:43
another crime and now had a criminal record this time the print was scanned through
00:48:50
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department laboratory using the Los Angeles Hall of Justice computer which
00:48:56
not only held the fingerprints of criminals but also the prince of all County law enforcement officers
00:49:01
including anyone who had ever applied for a job in law enforcement the extensive database was much more
00:49:09
comprehensive than the ones used previously coupled with major improvements in fingerprint matching technology the
00:49:17
chance of finding a match was far more likely than before but the task force wasn't holding its breath a few days
00:49:26
later the killer pyro Task Force received a call from the lab they were warned that their arson investigators
00:49:33
needed to be more careful when handling evidence a technician had just tried to run the fingerprint through the database
00:49:40
only to discover that it belonged to a member of the Glendale Fire Department and appeared a contamination had
00:49:48
occurred during investigations likely the result of the incendiary device being handled without proper precautions
00:49:56
the fingerprint belonged to highly regarded arson investigator John or Marvin Casey revealed that John Orr had
00:50:07
not entered the Bakersfield scene in any official capacity this ruled out the possibility that John touched the
00:50:15
incendiary device during the initial investigation process in another twist John Orr's name was featured on Casey's
00:50:24
thoroughly analyzed the list of 10 potential suspects having attended both the 1987 California conference of arson
00:50:31
investigators in Fresno and to the 1989 conference held in Pacific Grove John Orr's workplace was in Glendale a city
00:50:42
north of central Los Angeles and his family home was situated in the neighboring suburb of Eagle Rock
00:50:49
both locations stemmed from highways 101 and 99 the routes Marvin Casey concluded
00:50:55
the arsonist traveled when hitting the targets within the allocated time frames it was likely John would have driven
00:51:02
these highways to and from both conferences it was also known that he took at both trips alone this revelation
00:51:12
was additionally surprising as John Orr's partial fingerprint on the incendiary device had actually been
00:51:19
tested against his employee print sheet back in 1989 however the technician failed to make the connection due to
00:51:27
limitations in fingerprint technology at the time despite conducting complex analysis he was limited to using a form
00:51:35
of manual testing that involved visually comparing the samples and didn't notice
00:51:40
the similarities between prints this oversight would later be considered a grave human error
00:51:50
investigators pause thus the full weight of what they were considering sunk in the incendiary device hadn't been
00:51:57
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it recruiter the smartest way to hire the revelation that the pillow pyro could be a well-respected arson
00:55:54
investigator and fire captain who is an incredibly sensitive breakthrough and to
00:56:00
the task force had to tread extremely carefully to ensure the information remained strictly confidential in case
00:56:06
John was innocent those who were privileged to the information were in a deep state of shock at the possibility
00:56:13
that the alleged arsonist was John or a man they admired and esteemed a member of the firefighting community who
00:56:21
dedicated his life to catching fire bugs and keeping the community safe many of them had attended his training seminars
00:56:28
and found his insight into the minds and behaviors of pyromaniacs to be invaluable
00:56:36
John was widely regarded for his special ability to discover evidence at arson sites that other qualified fire
00:56:43
officials were unable to detect colleagues reported that John had always been fast at determining the cause of a
00:56:51
fire often locating incendiary devices with ease when a fire was blazing John would hastily appear at the scene and
00:56:59
was sometimes the first responder had also surprised to no one to see John present at fires even when he was off
00:57:06
duty upon reflection John's unique skills and peculiarities also spotlighted him as someone to view with
00:57:15
suspicion nevertheless without evidence the taskforce knew there was every chance speculation against John or could
00:57:23
boil down to mere coincidences for the pillo pyro taskforce identifying their suspect there was one thing but
00:57:32
putting a full-scale investigation into place and making an arrest was a different challenge altogether given the
00:57:40
severity of the accusations against the John or the United States Attorney's Office became involved they wanted to
00:57:47
establish a complete chain of evidence to build the most compelling case possible prosecuting a Californian fire
00:57:53
official for committing the very crimes he was hired to prevent was a major criminal case and they had to ensure the
00:58:00
investigation was meticulous John's fingerprint on the incendiary device was incriminating but the attorney's office
00:58:10
needed a lot more evidence to prove he was absolutely responsible for the amount of fires he was being accused of
00:58:16
starting in the print only linked him to the 1987 craft Mart fire in Bakersfield
00:58:22
but the signature ammo meant he could have been responsible for a countless number of arson attacks including the
00:58:29
recent outbreak in Los Angeles the Central Valley spree in 1987 and to the Central Coast spree in 1989 the US
00:58:39
Attorney's Office arranged a confidential meeting with John Orr's immediate superior battalion chief
00:58:45
Christopher gray to break the news that his prized arson investigator was now the focus of the pillo pyro
00:58:51
investigation the attorney's office warned to the chief that there was still a lot of work to be done to build their
00:58:58
case and that an arrest was still quite some time away while he refused to believe the allegations at first chief
00:59:08
gray agreed to provide whatever assistance he could including obtaining Collier sheets and phone records from
00:59:14
the Glendale Fire Department gray also informed the Attorney's Office that John Orr planned to attend a five-day
00:59:21
training course on peace officer safety in San Luis Obispo at the end of the month
00:59:26
this piece of information was of great interest to the attorney's office as the fact that John would be attending a
00:59:33
multi-day training course presented a golden opportunity to help build their case if history was anything to go by
00:59:40
this was when the pillow pyro was most likely to strike on the morning of April 28 1991 the day before the training
00:59:56
course was scheduled to begin John Orr drove towards in the West Obispo a city roughly midway between Los Angeles and
01:00:04
San Francisco he was unaware that a tracking device had been placed underneath his car or the fact he was
01:00:11
being tailed by six surveillance cars her fixed-wing aircraft and a team of undercover agents the surveillance
01:00:19
vehicles couldn't keep sight of him for long as John hit the freeway at breakneck speed despite his recklessly
01:00:27
fast driving John Orr made his way towards his hotel the tracking device revealing he made a
01:00:32
no suspicious stops along the way the following night an undercover agent followed John into Thrifty's drugstore
01:00:40
in San Luis Obispo and to watch as he purchased what appeared to be a pack of cigarettes when John left the store the
01:00:48
agent identified himself to the sales clerk and obtained a receipt for John's purchase the receipt confirmed that John
01:00:56
had bought two packs of Marlboro light cigarettes this was a promising piece of evidence as the task force knew that
01:01:04
John was not a smoker the taskforce maintained strong surveillance of John's actions over the following days
01:01:12
convinced they would catch their suspect in the act but to their surprise the rest of the training course went by with
01:01:20
the audience alone yet undercover agents confirmed to John didn't take a cigarette break at any
01:01:26
point during the five-day training course and to no cigarette butts were found in his hotel room suggesting the
01:01:33
Marlboro Lights were still in John's possession the surveillance team was certain John
01:01:40
would used the cigarettes to create his signature incendiary delay device to use
01:01:45
as he made his way home to Eagle Rock anticipation was high on the final morning of the training seminar then as
01:01:54
John approached his vehicle to attend he's the last day of training something caught his attention a prickling sense
01:02:02
of panic overwhelmed the surveillance team as they watched John's squat down at the rear of his car to inspect
01:02:08
something underneath the antenna of the tracking device the surveillance team had attached had become visible into
01:02:16
their suspect had spotted it initially furious at themselves for not concealing the device more thoroughly
01:02:25
the surveillance team Zanger quickly turned to astonishment as John or seemingly disregarded the discovery he
01:02:32
simply climbed into his car and drove off the wilded the team discreetly followed John to his destination the San
01:02:42
Luis Obispo Police Department as soon as John left the police station two members
01:02:49
of the pillow pyro Task Force entered and identified themselves to the on-duty police lieutenant they were relieved to
01:02:56
learn that John had misidentified their tracking device telling the lieutenant he believed a bomb was strapped
01:03:02
underneath his car the lieutenant offered to call the bomb disposal squad to investigate but John simply asked for
01:03:11
directions to the closest explosives disposal range he explained that as a fireman he
01:03:17
understood these kinds of threats and could take care of it himself the range was only two miles away so the task
01:03:26
force had to think quick they called the range and spoke to the bomb sergeant on
01:03:31
duty hastily filling him in on their situation and her questing' that he play along with john's
01:03:36
theory that their tracking device was indeed a bomb upon John's arrival the bomb surgeon removed the tracker and the
01:03:45
lied about it as requested saying it was a harmless fake explosive probably put there by hooligan kids in the area for a
01:03:53
cheap thrill the sergeant assured John the device couldn't hurt a fly but advised he would be happy to send it
01:04:01
through to the training institute for confirmation John agreed but oddly before he left the range he stopped to
01:04:10
take a few photos of the device including a tracking number listed on it which linked back to the Bureau of
01:04:16
Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms this action suggests that he didn't buy the lie about the bomb and perhaps suspected it
01:04:24
was a tracker all along adjusting his behavior accordingly he then returned to his car and attended the final training
01:04:31
session as planned any expectation that John would act had faded by the afternoon as his wife arrived to join
01:04:40
him in seeing the waist Obispo nevertheless the task force held surveillance on the holidaying couple
01:04:47
over the following two days but nothing suspicious occurred the sting operation reached it's disappointing conclusion
01:04:55
when John and his wife made an uneventful journey home to Eagle Rock having failed at the Buster John or as
01:05:07
their serial arsonist the pillow pyro surveillance team went home defeated their efforts had been sabotaged by the
01:05:14
misplaced tracker and the same two luckily John was now aware he was being watched
01:05:21
surveillance continued in Glendale but John's notoriously dangerous and unpredictable driving habits made him
01:05:28
difficult to follow since the pillo pyro Task Force had been established there hadn't been a single
01:05:35
arson attempt at any retail store within Los Angeles County the task force checked the daily fire reports
01:05:43
diligently hoping to find something they could link their suspect to but nothing
01:05:47
new came through at a loss the task force considered whether they should make an arrest neo based on the little
01:05:55
evidence they heard in the hopes it was enough to build a case for the 1987 retail fires that were started in Fresno
01:06:02
to Larry and a Bakersfield as they deliberated over their next step the taskforce managed to obtain a recent
01:06:11
mud shot of John or the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a phony request for members of the fire investigators
01:06:17
regional strike team of which John was a member to have headshots taken for publication purposes John happily posed
01:06:26
for the camera his photograph was then used in a photo lineup and presented to a variety of witnesses from the multiple
01:06:34
arson crime scenes with several pointing out John wall's photograph and identifying him as either a customer or
01:06:40
as being on location shortly before a fire broke out following this development the pillo pyro task force
01:06:49
was given permission to install a teletrac device in John Orr's car the state-of-the-art tracking device used
01:06:56
the cutting edge technology and it wasn't yet widely known about within the law-enforcement community so there was
01:07:02
no way for John to be aware or suspicious of it the next time his car was put in for regular servicing the
01:07:10
unobtrusive device was fitted under John's dashboard where it couldn't be accidentally spotted had provided the
01:07:16
taskforce with a real-time record of his car's movements in 15-minute intervals in the meantime a year's worth of
01:07:25
call-out sheets provided by the Glendale Fire Department were examined the records confirmed that John had been
01:07:32
unaccounted for or working alone during every date that a suspected pillow pyro fire occurred by October 1991 the
01:07:44
processes were in motion to get a federal grand jury to hand down an indictment to formally charge John or
01:07:51
for the 1987 Central Valley Fire spree in the meantime the US Attorney's Office was securing search warrants of John
01:08:00
Orr's Eagle Rock property for when an eventual arrest was made having been informed that John was in
01:08:07
the process of writing a novel members of the pillow pyro task force were shocked to learn that John's novel told
01:08:14
the story of a firefighter who moonlights as a serial arsonist the manuscript was near complete and John
01:08:22
was in the final stages of sending it to literary agents for paid feedback John's
01:08:29
novel titled a points of origin told the story of Aaron Stiles a firefighter and
01:08:34
serial arsonist in the Los Angeles area who becomes sexually aroused when starting fires his colleague arson
01:08:43
investigator Phil Langtry is desperate to catch the serial arsonist terrorizing the community throughout his
01:08:50
investigation Langtry starts theorizing that the perpetrator could be a fellow firefighter along with explicit and
01:08:59
often violent sexual content the manuscript contained detailed descriptions about the very fires the
01:09:05
pillo pyro Task Force was investigating when the task force compared to the fictional movements of points of origin
01:09:13
character Aaron Stiles to the real-life crime sir John Orr was suspected of the similarities between fact and fiction
01:09:20
were barely distinguishable both men were firefighters non-smokers and a houston incendiary delay device
01:09:29
designed to give them 10 to 15 minutes getaway time they both started fires in hardware stores fabric stores and other
01:09:38
retail stores within styrofoam and other highly combustible products sometimes hitting multiple targets within a short
01:09:45
time frame astonishingly both men also started fires while they were traveling to and from an arson conference held in
01:09:53
Fresno when describing Aaron Styles John Orr wrote quote he was a loner and insecure his fires
01:10:05
gave him the much-needed attention that he craved he was after all the only one who knew how the fire started
01:10:13
- Aaron the smoke was beautiful causing his heart rate to quicken and his breathing to calm in shallow gasps he
01:10:22
was trying to control his outward appearance and to look normal to anyone around him although John Orr presented
01:10:32
points of origin as a work of fiction it was impossible for the task force not to
01:10:36
read the manuscript as a confession the similarities were just too uncanny but the contents of a fictional novel could
01:10:44
not be proven as an admission of guilt or used as concrete evidence of a real-life Crone
01:10:51
regardless the manuscript was picked apart for any information that could be useful to the investigation including
01:10:58
the potential motivation behind John Orr's alleged actions on November 22 1991 John Orr had been under
01:11:12
surveillance for approximately seven months when a fire broke out on the set of a television show at Warner Brothers
01:11:18
Studios in Burbank after the fire was extinguished the city of Burbank Slade arson investigator Captain Steve
01:11:26
Patterson called on John Orr for advice oblivious to the fact his mentor was the
01:11:32
main suspect in a major arson case captain Patterson had only been working as an investigator for 18 months and
01:11:40
wanted the assistance and know-how of someone more experienced John said he just so happened to be in the area and
01:11:48
would be right over to help with the investigation struggling to give clear directions to the location of the fire
01:11:56
Patterson instead agreed to meet John outside the studio and personally escort him through the massive lot to the
01:12:03
damaged television set Patterson waited at the meet up point for ten minutes but John failed the show
01:12:11
when Patterson returned to the scene of the fire he was surprised than somewhat confused to find John already there
01:12:19
regardless Patterson was happy to have the help after the two investigators examined the scene they agreed the fire
01:12:29
was a result of arson the teletrac device in John's vehicle only recorded his movements in 15-minute intervals so
01:12:39
it didn't record his whereabouts at all times that data didn't place John at Warner Brothers Studio when the blaze
01:12:45
broke out but it did put him in the general vicinity making it the first deliberately led fire John or could be
01:12:52
placed at since the pillo pyro Task Force had been established surely after 2:00 p.m. the following day former Los
01:13:03
Angeles Fire Department captain Gary Saito was dropping down the foothill freeway in Glendale sidle was one of the
01:13:11
few people who knew John or was the suspect of the pillo pyro investigation and spotted the men as they pulled up
01:13:18
alongside one another at an intersection the two acknowledged each other with a beep of their horns before turning their
01:13:25
separate ways although it seemed unlikely John would attempt anything knowing seidel had witnessed him in the
01:13:32
area Saito was stunned when just 15 minutes after observing John's vehicle turned south a column of smoke appeared
01:13:40
in the sky followed by another just minutes later two separate brush fires had broken out in nearby neighborhoods
01:13:49
one in Glendale and another a nine minute drive away in the city of LA cañada Flintridge John Orr's voice
01:13:57
broadcast over the emergency dispatch radio informing all listening departments that he was heading to the
01:14:04
Glendale fire firefighters that the Larkin yard a Flint Ridge scene were surprised when John Orr appeared moments
01:14:11
later despite having announced his position at the other fire scene after the fires
01:14:17
were extinguished and asked an investigator for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department determined that
01:14:22
both fires were deliberately he believed the possible that one was used as a diversionary tactic to allow
01:14:30
the other more time to burn before firefighters arrived it wasn't necessarily John Orr's presence at the
01:14:38
Warner Brothers Studios Glendale and de la cañada Flintridge fires that was unusual
01:14:43
he was an arson investigator after all what did raise suspicions was the sheer speed in which John arrived to each
01:14:52
location giving the impression he was one step ahead of dispatchers and fire crews coupled with the fact he was
01:14:59
trapped or witnessed in proximity of the scene of the crimes moments prior to or
01:15:03
following the attacks the US Attorney's Office became increasingly nervous until
01:15:11
now John was only being accused of starting retail fires but they couldn't rule out the possibility that he had
01:15:18
escalated to outdoor fires where the damage had higher potential to be truly catastrophic they needed to make an
01:15:26
arrest before John or put more lives at risk on the early morning of December 4 1991
01:15:38
John Orr walked towards his car on his Eagle Rock property when he was startled by multiple voices shouting at him to
01:15:45
put his hands in the air a team of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms officers from the
01:15:52
Los Angeles Police Department and members of the Los Angeles Fire Department arson unit swiftly encircled
01:15:58
him John was arrested immediately and taken to the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast division for
01:16:05
interviewing John denied any involvement with any arson attacks but strangely asked how many fingerprints they had
01:16:14
found thorough searches were conducted of John Orr's home car and office several items of interest were found
01:16:23
including cigarettes matches rubber bands yellow note paper and a copy of the pillow pyro flier that had been
01:16:31
distributed by the task force photos and videos of some of the fires John Orr was
01:16:37
accused of starting were also found some footage even featured the properties prior to them being damaged by fire so
01:16:44
he had before-and-after shots John insisted he had a genuine reason for possessing these items which were
01:16:53
all used for training purposes he would use the cigarettes matches and paper to show students how arsonists can create
01:17:00
an incendiary device out of common objects the photos and video footage were used to show how quickly fire can
01:17:07
spread according to John it was a mere coincidence that some of the locations featured in his videos were later said a
01:17:16
lot he maintained he only filmed them for educational purposes to exhibit properties that presented a fire hazard
01:17:23
when we debate Minh obligations weren't met also discovered amongst to John's belongings were the photos of the
01:17:31
tracking device he had spotted under his vehicle in San Luis Obispo along with the post-it note containing the Bureau
01:17:38
of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms tracking number most incriminating of all were copies of
01:17:45
letters John had sent to literary agents to accompany his points of origin manuscript they contained strictly
01:17:53
classified details about arson investigations that John Orr had no way of knowing about without some level of
01:17:59
involvement in the crimes in one letter John wrote my novel is a fact-based work
01:18:07
that follows the pattern of an actual arsonist that has been setting serial fires in California over the past eight
01:18:13
years he has not been identified or apprehended and probably will not be in the near future as in the real case the
01:18:22
arsonist in my novel is a firefighter he explained that an arsonist who not only stays close by but sometimes even
01:18:32
participates in the discovery and extinguishment of their fire in another letter
01:18:38
John revealed he was a suspect in an ongoing arson investigation adding that at one point he even found a tracking
01:18:46
device attached to his car John ended this letter with the comment by the way I'm not the arsonist
01:19:04
when the task force notified John's colleagues of his arrest a friend and fellow arson investigator suggests that
01:19:11
they look into the deadly 1984 fire at all these homes Center in South Pasadena according to this source John had been
01:19:19
obsessed with the case for years and still maintained the oles fire had been deliberately lit the fact that the
01:19:27
inferno had been deemed an accident was an ongoing source of annoyance for John upon hearing this information Special
01:19:36
Agent Michael Matassa who had worked tirelessly on the pillow pyro case was reminded of a chapter in points of
01:19:43
origin where John wrote about a fire at a location named Cal's hardware store during the fictional fire at Cal's five
01:19:53
people died in the inferno including a little boy named Matthew in the novel the arson investigators are deemed too
01:20:01
stupid to realize the fire was deliberately lit in the real lolis Home Center fire four people died including a
01:20:10
two-year-old boy named Matthew and the fire was ruled an accident assistant US Attorney's Walter brown and Stefan Stine
01:20:20
would later say that the cow's fire written in Orr's novel mirrored the fiery Dolly's quote to the point of
01:20:28
being McCobb John Orr's points of origin manuscript was meticulously examined for
01:20:35
other real-life parallels and many more of the book's fictional fires were linked to real incidents for which the
01:20:41
pillo pyro was not yet a suspect when Cooley out sheets were inspected John Orr had been off duty or working alone
01:20:50
during every one of those fires the task force started receiving phone calls from
01:20:57
fire fighters and arson investigators throughout California who believed John Orr could be linked to even more
01:21:03
unresolved cases this included the glendale brush fires of the early 1980s which had only
01:21:10
increased after john started working for the region's fire department even dan yeager John
01:21:17
was investigation partner suspected something wasn't quite right with his colleague Yaeger founder John's
01:21:24
disinterest in pursuing an in-depth investigation into the 1990 college Hills Inferno peculiar John had publicly
01:21:32
declared the catastrophic Hill site fire was the work of an arsonist but then abruptly shelved the case
01:21:38
without conducting a worthwhile investigation given the extent of the blaze which destroyed many homes in the
01:21:46
area Yeager pushed John to continue exploring the case but John shut down the idea
01:21:53
this seemingly coincided with a witness informing police that she spotted a suspicious man in the area known as
01:22:00
prior to the blaze who in hindsight matched the physical description of John or the exact number of fires started by the
01:22:14
pillo pyro was unknown and for list of potential attacks grew by the day but on July 21 1992 John Orr went on trial in a
01:22:24
United States District Court for the 1987 Central Valley retail fire spray that began in Fresno John Orr was
01:22:33
charged with five counts of arson two in Fresno two in Bakersfield and one in Tulare at the conclusion of the trial
01:22:42
the jury declared a John Orr guilty of three counts the craft Mart and Hancock fabric fires in Bakersfield enter the
01:22:50
family bargain fire in Tulare due to a lack of evidence he was acquitted of all charges for the two fresno fires upon
01:23:00
sentencing on November 2 1992 John's plea for leniency was read out to the court where he maintained his innocence
01:23:08
quote your honor my life has been dedicated to the fire service and law enforcement for over 22 years I have
01:23:18
personally been trapped by fire and smoke on three occasions I know the panic the terror and the helplessness
01:23:25
that even a well-equipped professional firefighter can experience as a fire advances uncontrolled I know how those
01:23:33
witnesses fell my heart went out to them I don't wish that kind of experience on
01:23:39
anyone and I feel helpless and frustrated because the person responsible remains at large I have
01:23:46
fought fires performed rescues and carried the bodies of men women and children who have died as a result of
01:23:54
fire and smoke presiding judge Wagner responded quote the evidence was substantial you are guilty of each of
01:24:05
these counts and what I must say to you as a sworn law enforcement officer is that the proof of your guilt then
01:24:13
establishes that you betrayed the highest trust that was placed in you to protect the public from the terror you
01:24:19
have described John Orr was sentenced to ten years in prison for each count to run
01:24:27
consecutively he was also ordered to pay restitution of two hundred and twenty five thousand nine hundred and seventy
01:24:34
one dollars to the victims of those three fires with the Central Valley court proceedings now complete the
01:24:44
pillow pyro task force was busy putting together the next case against John all he was charged with eight further counts
01:24:52
of arson the three that occurred in Atascadero during the Pacific Grove arson conference in 1989 and five in the
01:25:00
Los Angeles retail spray of late in 1990 and early 91 by this point john's lawyer
01:25:08
convinced his client that offering a plea deal was in his best interest he recommended that john plead guilty to
01:25:14
the three Atascadero fires where no significant damage had occurred and therefore no civil liability expenses
01:25:21
would be applied in exchange for this guilty plea the attorney would request that the five los angeles fire charges
01:25:29
be dropped however john's attorney also advised his client that the district attorney's
01:25:37
office was conducting an investigation into the 1990 college hills fire and at the deadly oles home center blaze of
01:25:44
1994 hoping to build a case against John John's lawyer warned him against taking
01:25:51
the plea deal if there was any chance that such an inquiry had momentum John Ziemann Lee maintained he had no
01:25:59
involvement with those fires and two there was absolutely no evidence to prove otherwise he reassured his
01:26:06
attorney telling him that they had nothing to fear the US Attorney's Office agreed to the plea deal on the condition
01:26:15
that John plead guilty to at least one of the Los Angeles retail fires hoping to save his wife from losing their house
01:26:22
John took the deal on May 12 1993 John Orr pled guilty to the three counts of arson that caused the least damage of
01:26:34
the - in Atascadero and one in Los Angeles he was sentenced to 96 months imprisonment for each count to be served
01:26:43
concurrently alongside his 30 year sentence for the Central Valley fires during the extensive investigation into
01:26:58
John Orr's potential crimes it was discovered that the number of brush fires near Glendale landed Surrey ons
01:27:04
had skyrocketed into the hundreds since John started work with the region's fire
01:27:08
department investigators believed John Orr was responsible for a majority of fires in the Glendale region over the
01:27:16
past decade a suspicion supported by the statistic that arson fires in the area had dropped by more than 90 percent
01:27:23
since his arrest on November 21 1994 the district attorney presented a 25 count indictment against the John Leonard Orr
01:27:35
- a Los Angeles grand jury in relation to the 1984 oles Home Center blaze the indictment charged to John with one
01:27:44
count of arson and four counts of murder for the deaths evaded deal Matthew Troy --dl Carolyn Krause and a
01:27:51
Jimmy Cetina John was also charged with one count of arson for the 1991 Warner Brothers Studio fire 16 counts of arson
01:28:01
four homes destroyed in the 1990 College Hills fire and three counts of arson for
01:28:07
brush fires that destroyed homes in Glendale and a la cañada Flintridge in 1991 due to the murder charges John Orr
01:28:16
was now facing the death penalty the trial began four years later in April 98 after John Orr had already
01:28:27
spent seven years in prison the prosecution presented key evidence including the 350 page points of origin
01:28:35
manuscript 110 videos and audio tapes made by John a dozens of fires communications with more enforcement
01:28:43
authorities the letters to literary agents that Jon authored and testimony from 100 witnesses the fact that John had
01:28:53
pled guilty to three other fires that used the same MO and signature incendiary device was strongly used
01:29:00
against him although the points of origin manuscript was only intended to form a small part
01:29:07
of the prosecution's case attorneys argued had provided clear evidence of motive
01:29:13
during the trial sections of the manuscript were read aloud with a particular focus on a chapter where the
01:29:20
main character of Aaron Styles places a slow-burning incendiary device made from
01:29:24
a cigarette and rubber band into polyurethane foam cushions in Cal's hardware store the resulting fire kills
01:29:33
several employees and customers including a woman and her toddler grandson named Matthew the prosecution
01:29:41
revealed overt and disturbing similarities between this scene and to the real-life Ollie's home center fire
01:29:48
in his novel John Orr described to the cows hardware store scene quote the last thing she heard was a tremendous roar as
01:29:59
the fire burned through the roof and vented to the outside the smoke momentarily lifted but was then replaced
01:30:07
by solid fire as the entire contents of the annex exploded into flames their last breaths were of 800 degree heat is
01:30:16
seared their throats closed the prosecution told the jury that John Orr intentionally with the fires in the
01:30:24
potato-chip Isles at Vons market and Albertsons market shortly before the oles Home Center fire to create a
01:30:31
diversion ten minutes after the oles fire started John Orr who was off duty at the time
01:30:38
appeared on the scene with a camera around his neck and began taking photos of the blaze attending personnel assumed
01:30:46
he was documenting the fire to reference in a future seminar but upon reflection
01:30:51
it was likely John was collecting mementos of his crime the day after the oles plays john told a
01:31:00
family member of one of the victims that the fire was a result of arson started from an incendiary device placed
01:31:06
inside poly foam products this was despite sergeant jack Palmer's ruling that the fire was accidental and caused
01:31:14
by an electrical fault the prosecution reference to this against the neck served from the points
01:31:22
of origin manuscript which stated quote Aaron wanted the Cal's fire to be called
01:31:28
arson he loved the inadvertent attention he derived from the newspaper coverage and hated it when he wasn't properly
01:31:35
recognized the deaths were blotted out of his mind it wasn't his fault just stupid people acting as stupid people do
01:31:50
on June 26 1998 the jury found a John Leonard Orr guilty of four counts of first degree murder and all remaining
01:32:00
arson charges excluding the Warner Brothers Studio fire due to a lack of evidence in her victim impact statement
01:32:09
Kimberly the daughter of a daddy'll and mother of two year-old Matthew Troy doll
01:32:13
who were both tragically killed in the oles plays stated quote I frequently feel like the way a cat looks if he hold
01:32:22
it by the scruff of the neck in midair with arms and legs everything going everywhere and it is trying to get some
01:32:30
kind of perch but it can't because when I lost my mum I lost the person who has hold my hands
01:32:37
when I learned to walk I lost the person who put the veil on my head when I got married the one person
01:32:44
that I probably would have turned to who could understand and mothers the loss of
01:32:48
a child was my mum but she wasn't there to comfort me and in losing my child I have
01:32:56
lived with that guilt in the shame of it every single day because I know how afraid he was of dying in that horrible
01:33:02
place I know he thought mummy would come and save him because that's what mummys
01:33:07
do and I never came during the closing argument in favor of giving John or the death penalty prosecution lawyer
01:33:19
Sandra Flannery said quote he was as much a killer as someone who shoots their victims face to face only how John
01:33:28
Orr did it was with so much more terror and deception under the guise of being the protector of good John Orr was in
01:33:37
fact the perpetrator of evil under California state law the decision to recommend to the death penalty must be
01:33:47
unanimous with every member of the jury voting in favor in September 1998 the jury spared John Orr's life when they
01:33:57
were deadlocked eight to four in favor of sentencing him to death John Orr was instead sentenced to four consecutive
01:34:04
life terms without the possibility of parole for the murders evaded deal Matthew Troy --dl Jimmy Cetina and
01:34:11
Carolyn Kraus in addition to 21 years for the fires that damaged or destroyed dozens of homes around Glendale in
01:34:21
handing down the maximum sentence Judge Robert Perry said quote the enormity of the defendants crimes should not be
01:34:29
understated he embarked on a campaign of setting arson fires that is remarkable in the number of fires he set and in the
01:34:37
expert way he set them after the sentencing prosecuting attorney Micah Cabral said quote the lesson that this
01:34:49
case teaches us is that no one should be above suspicion when it comes to criminal activity there were many
01:34:55
instances where other investigators felt that something wasn't right and for a long period of time overlooked it
01:35:02
because of his position in fire service John Orr is currently serving his life sentence in a California state prison
01:35:13
where he maintains his innocence including for the fires he pled guilty to he claims to have accepted the plea
01:35:20
bargain only because he was emotionally and financially drained and wanted to save his fire department the
01:35:25
embarrassment and stress of another trial in regards to his points of origin manuscript John maintains the story is
01:35:33
entirely a work of fiction FBI criminal profilers have deemed to John ought to be one of the worst American serial
01:35:43
arsonists of the 20th century which some law enforcement officials believing he could be responsible for in excess of
01:35:51
2,000 fires over a 30-year period John Wallis actions behavior and writings have been used for research into the
01:36:01
firefighter arsonist phenomenon a marvel that has attracted considerable public interest in recent years according to a
01:36:10
2016 report from the National Volunteer Fire Council over 100 firefighters are arrested for arson annually the
01:36:19
perplexing behavior has been linked to a variety of motivators such as hero complexes boredom attention seeking
01:36:27
financial gain excitement and in some cases sexual gratification the unfortunate actions of these rare
01:36:37
criminal few threatened to tarnish the positive reputation that respected courageous firefighters and fire service
01:36:44
leaders have carefully crafted for centuries when firefighters first begin service they take an oath of office that
01:36:54
differs among jurisdictions with many using a poem of unknown origin commonly referred to as the fireman's pledge the
01:37:03
emotional pledge states I promise concerned for others a willingness to help all those in need
01:37:11
I promise courage courage to face and conquer my fears courage to share and enjoy the ordeal of those who need me I
01:37:20
promise strength strength of heart to bear whatever burdens might be placed upon me strength of body to deliver to
01:37:28
safety all those placed within my care I promised the wisdom to lead the compassion to comfort and to the love to
01:37:37
serve unselfishly whenever I am called [Music] you [Music]