Associated Press
HAMILTON, Ohio — A homeowner and his nephew are scheduled to go on trial in Ohio for murder in a 2015 house fire that resulted in the death of a firefighter.
Prosecutors say Lester Parker solicited his nephew, William “Billy” Tucker, to set the fire that resulted in the death of Hamilton firefighter Patrick Wolterman. The firefighter died after falling through a floor of the burning home.
The two men have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and arson. Their attorneys had asked Butler County Judge Greg Stephens to move the trial because of extensive pretrial publicity.
Stephens said the court should try to seat a jury first. He set jury selection for Monday.
It was the first death of a Hamilton firefighter in the line of duty since 1971.