04/01/08 (TX):
Arson Expert Testifies In Murder Case
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A jury has found Rhonda Orr guilty of setting the fire that killed her disabled husband five years ago. The jury took just two hours to reach its unanimous verdict.
The prosecution had alleged that Mrs Orr's motive was the life insurance policy of over $1M which she had hoped to share with her new lover, who even attended her husband's funeral. Mrs Orr was also pregnant with the man's child at the time of her husband's death.
The fire had occurred at the couple's home - specifically in the Orrs' bedroom. Mrs Orr told the jury that the deceased had been drinking alcohol which had ignited when a candle toppled over. She had tried to rescue her husband but he had pushed her away and locked the bedroom door.
However, prosecution expert Ray Powell, an arson investigator, testified that two separate fires had been deliberately set in the bedroom, although it was likely that whisky was the accelerant.
It also became apparent that Mrs Orr had begun calling insurance companies with regard to the claim within hours of her husband's death.
Sentence will take place at a future date.
© X-Pro 2008
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