Raymond Lee Oyler
Raymond Lee Oyler is a 36-year-old auto mechanic from Beaumont, California, who was arrested by Riverside County Sheriff's Department officials on October 31, 2006, for setting two wildfires in the summer of 2006. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced in a live news conference on Thursday, November 2, 2006, that Oyler also was charged for his involvement with the Esperanza Fire, which killed five firefighters:[1] Jason McKay, 27; Jess McLean, 27; Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20; Mark Loutzenhiser, 43; and Pablo Cerda, 23.
He has appeared at a Riverside County court on March 19, 2007, for a preliminary hearing on the 5 charges of first degree murder, and 21 counts of arson or use of an incendiary device.
On November 11, 2006 it was announced that Oyler is a suspect in the 2003 Old Fire.[2]
On March 16, 2007 authorities announced that Oyler has been charged with an additional 19 counts of arson and using an incendiary device, for a total of 23 counts of arson in addition to the deadly Esperanza fire.
On May 9, 2007, Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco said that he planned to seek the death penalty against Oyler.[3]
After a week of deliberation, a jury returned a verdict of guilty against Raymond Lee Oyler for first-degree murder in the deaths of five firefighters killed in the 2006 Esperanza fire near Cabazon. A Riverside jury on March 6, 2009 returned guilty verdicts in the arson-murder trial. He was convicted of murder in the deaths of five U.S. Forest Service firefighters who died in the Esperanza Fire in 2006.
On March 18, 2009, the jury recommended the death penalty for Oyler. Sentencing is scheduled for June 5, 2009.[4]
References
- ^ Staff report (November 2, 2006). Authorities File Arson and Murder Charges in Deadly Southern California Wildfire. KABC-TV
- ^ Staff report (November 11, 2006). Oyler Investigated as Possible Arson Suspect in 2003 'Old' Fire. KABC-TV
- ^ Reston, Maeve (May 10, 2007). Execution sought for arson suspect. Los Angeles Times
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/18/california.fire.death.penalty/index.html
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