A man who set a fire, which became a large wildfire in Southern California, was found guilty of causing the deaths of five people who had heart attacks.
Rickie Lee Fowler was convicted on Wednesday on five counts of murder in a 2003 fire that destroyed 1,000 homes, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Deputy District Attorney Robert Bulloch said that Fowler was “evil” for starting the fires and that he had intentionally started the blaze after he was kicked out of his house. He was found guilty of tossing two road flares into dry brush along the side of the road.
Defense attorney Don Jordan said that there was no direct evidence showing that he set the fire.
Fowler was also convicted of two counts of arson, and the trial will now determine if he should receive the death penalty.
Chris Lee, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, told Fox Radio his office “will seek the death penalty in this case.”
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