Montco Woman Found Guilty Of Setting Neighbor's House On Fire
LOWER POTTSGROVE, Pa. (CBS) -- A Montgomery County jury has found a Lower Pottsgrove woman guilty on all counts of burning down the home of a police officer who lived next door.
It took the jury about 4 1/2 hours to find Donna Krupp guilty on multiple arson felony counts and related charges. The 52-year-old could in theory be facing up to 50-100 years in prison. That will be up to a judge at a later sentencing date.
Krupp broke into tears as the verdict was read.
Prosecutor Chris Daniels says Krupp targeted Limerick Township Police Detective Ernie Morris with what he calls, "misguided blame and revenge, over her son's repeated probation violations and incarceration."
"I'm happy that the jury stood up and said, you know what, you can't go after law enforcement officers for doing their jobs and you can't go after moms and dads for living on their street," Daniels said.
Detective Morris after the verdict said he was only trying to help Donna Krupp with a son who was battling heroin addiction.
"I keep kicking myself because I don't think I would have done anything different again, even though where I'm at now. It's just what we do," Morris said.
Krupp's defense attorney John Fioravanti says he felt there was more than enough reasonable doubt for an acquittal.
"I thought the other motive evidence was basically character assassination that would interfere with them making a decision on the real issue, whether she was in that video," Fiorvanti stated.
It was that video, from a home surveillance camera of the fire being lit, that the jury ultimately decided it was indeed Krupp lighting the fire.
As Donna Krupp is convicted on 13 counts she faced. Nine of those are felonies.
