A deadly fire and the hunt for the Pillow Pyro | Forensic Files

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Hood calm [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website it was relatively quiet on the night of
October 10 1984 at oles home Santa a one-stop hardware shop located in South Pasadena California only store consisted
of an 18,000 square foot building situated in an outdoor shopping plaza on the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and State
Street the heavily trafficked intersection was in the north and neighborhood of Raymond Hill a quiet
suburb with panoramic views across Pasadena and the nearby cities San Marino and Los Angeles this Thor was
usually busy with a constant stream of customers shopping for building gardening and home improvement suppliers
but on that evening the oils were near empty as most people were home in front of the TV eagerly waiting for the World
Series baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres to begin at
around 7:30 p.m. Billy and a daddy'll arrived at oles with their two and a half year old
grandson Matthew Troy doll they were stopping by the store to pick up a few things and had promised Matthew that
would treat him to an ice-cream just as soon as they finished shopping upon entering always ADA placed Matthew into
a shopping trolley and began navigating for large store interior the shop was divided into multiple departments lined
with oils of floor-to-ceiling shelving abundantly stocked with tools pain electrical items home wares and other
home hardware merchandise Billy deal gradually separated from his wife and grandson venturing towards the other
side of the store at around 8 p.m. 18 year old always employee Jim optim was nearing the front of the shop when he
noticed the pillar of dark smoke emanating from one of the display racks he didn't notice any flames but the
smoke was quickly growing thicker and darker Jim rushed down the aisles alerting
customers and advising everyone to make their way outside the handful of other staff members on shift that evening took
Jim's lead and passed on the evacuation message 21 lagging behind Billy deal was
on the opposite side of the building to his wife and grandson when he first heard someone yell fire he looked across
the store and was shocked to see anonymous cloud of smoke fast approaching Billy couldn't see a door or
young Matthew anywhere and within moments the smoke became so thick and dark that he couldn't see a thing
every time Billy yelled out aid his name the smoke filled his lungs making it difficult for him to breathe Billy had
no choice but to make a break for the exit and desperately hope his wife and grandson had already made it safely
outside across the other side of the store always employ a Jim Ogden past they'd a deal pushing Matthew in the
shopping trolley and warned her they needed to leave Jim headed towards the front exit turning around to check
evader and Matthew were behind him when suddenly the black pillar of smoke transformed into a blazing wall of fire
the still door is designed to contain fire within certain departments of the store automatically dropped down from
the ceiling into the electricity carrier making it impossible to see a thing panicked
Jim doctor low to the ground holding his breath and feeling his way along the walls until he finally located the far
exit in the back corner of the hardware department he burst outside desperately gasping for air when the cool night air
hit him Jim felt the full force of what had just happened his skin blazed a roar with second and
third-degree burns when he touched his wounded arm skin fell off as the fire intensified inside the store
the remaining employees and customers raced was the emergency exit at the back of
the electrical department the wave of fire roared behind them the momentous speed as they ran a flashover occurred
flash overs are widely regarded as one of the most dangerous and dreaded things that can occur during a fire of such
magnitude when certain organic materials are heated to extreme temperatures they
release flammable gases that can cause an entire room to instantly burst into flames
always home center was only three blocks away from the South Pasadena fire station so the shopping plazas
surrounding parking lot was quick to fill with fire engines desperately trying to get the blaze under control as
more firefighters arrived to attack the inferno Billy deal frantically searched the parking lot for his wife and
grandson hoping they made it out safely neighboring apartment complexes were evacuated as the billowing smoke
filtered inside a Red Cross shelter was established in the adjacent Pasadena War
Memorial Building where the 100 evacuated with emergency assistance in the chaos it was determined that for
people to all these employees Carol and Krause and Jimmy Cetina and two customers were unaccounted for
Billy deal would soon learn that his wife Ada and grandson Matthew were the two customers missing the oles home
center fire took 125 Los Angeles firefighters until midnight to get it under control they battled the dangerous
conditions exacerbated when nearly an acre of roofing collapsed completely obstructing access to the store and
eliminating the possibility of entering to save anyone trapped inside the fire continued to burn out until the
early hours of the morning leaving nothing but a pile of ash and debris [Music] California is ranked as the US state
most prone to wildfire with over 2 million households at extreme risk at anytime the state has seen some of the
most devastating fires in American history this risk is highest in the state central and southern regions where
the brush that surrounds the Los Angeles countryside contains tough leathery leaves and too volatile natural oils
that are highly flammable combine this with a Mediterranean climate dry landscape drought resistant vegetation
as well as the hot and strong Sunanda winds blowing from the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada desert and you have
the perfect recipe for disaster in order to protect residents and property hundreds of millions of dollars are
spent annually on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection still HEA thousands of fires
destroy hundreds of thousands of acres with subsequent damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars wildfires can
spark from a variety of sources from lightning to powerlines but these accidental causes are only responsible
for a very low percentage of fires the large majority are generated by people some result from unattended campfires
erratic burning of debris or negligently discarded cigarettes however many more Soniya to be deliberate acts of arson
throughout the early 1980s a wave of wildfires swept through Central and Southern California significantly
increasing the need for stricter fire control fires numbered in the thousands destroying hundreds of thousands of
acres and racking up monumental damage bills Foothill brushfires within the Glendale
region in the state south will widespread with investigators estimating that at least 80% were deliberately lit
a majority of the fires took place within the affluent area of Chevy Chase Canyon in the San Rafael Hills a locale
that boasts impressive real estate on significant blocks of land luckily most burnt-out all were contained before any
significant damage occurred but the problem was endemic enough for the Glendale Fire Department to realize
higher precautions and greater resources were needed at the time local police handled all arson cases for
the City of Glendale but with this recent spate of deliberately lit fires the fire department wanted to develop a
specialized arson investigation unit and appoint a full-time investigator word got out that the department was looking
to hire and dedicated arson investigator who would report directly to the head of
the fire prevention Bureau despite being a great career move the position didn't
gun a much interest amongst firefighters as it sounded more like police work however there was one applicant in
particular who stood out as a desirable candidate for the position a member of Glendale Fire Prevention Unit named John
Leonard or Jonel was a determined and tenacious man who took fire control incredibly
seriously after serving in the United States Air Force his dream was to join the Los Angeles Police Department but
after failing the entrance exam he settled for a job as a department store security guard where he thrived at
detecting shoplifters determined to establish a respected career in any area of law enforcement or emergency services
Jon was accepted into the Glendale Fire Academy in 1974 where he successfully passed a training program to become a
full-fledged fireman by his early 30s John had made a name for himself with the impassioned and sometimes
unconventional approach he took towards catching residents who recklessly avoided their weed abatement
responsibilities he was a rare breed a firefighter whose real passion seemed to lie with police work during the Glendale
Fire spree jon was highly regarded for his dedication to his role within the fire
prevention unit diligent and hardworking he always made the effort to attend and
examine the scene of fires within his jurisdiction regardless of whether or not he was officially on Judy it was at
the side of one of the Glendale hillside fires where John discovered an incendiary delay device made from
cigarettes and a matchbook an incendiary delay device is a contraption specifically designed to start a fire
while leaving enough time for the arsonist to flee the scene John's discovery was impressive as the Glendale
Fire Department had failed to locate any evidence of arson at the hillside fires
up until that point earning John a big accolade when it came time to a point of full-time arson investigator John Orr
was the obvious choice john was thrilled with his promotion and took on his new responsibilities with
gusto he loved the problem-solving elements that came with investigative work as it
made him feel like the policeman had always longed to be by 1982 an article in the American fire journal reported
that since the inception of glendale's arson investigation unit arson cases in Glendale were being cleared at a rate 21
percent higher than the national average this was great recognition of the work John was doing and encouraged him to
work even harder the job of an arson investigator is particularly challenging arsonists are notoriously difficult to
catch as they typically act alone and are quick to flee the scene of their crimes evidence that could be recovered
from a crime scene is usually destroyed in the fire and without a reliable witness or CCTV footage the chances of
identifying a suspect a slim in order to succeed in an arson investigation role one needs to profoundly understand the
traits of an arsonist and to the motivations behind their crimes to further his career John Orr started
conducting his own research into the mindset and behavior of arsonists and pyromaniacs as his credibility grew he
used his experience to educate others his opinion became so widely respected that he had several articles published
in esteemed industry publications and his insight was often requested at the scene of arson fires outside of his
jurisdiction it was 7:45 p.m. on October 10 1984 when John Orr was requested to attend to the
aftermath of a small retail fire that had broken out at the Albertson's market store in Pasadena
upon inspection he determined the fire had been intentionally started in a rack of potato chip bags when the vegetable
oil and flammable packaging combined to create the perfect fuel after finishing his investigation John made his way home
his route took him through Raymond Hill in South Pasadena where he noticed the chaos unfolding on Fair Oaks Avenue
where Ollie's home center was ablaze although John wasn't prepared with any of his firefighting equipment he stopped
to offer his assistance the scene was a hive of activity as over a hundred firefighters fought the monstrous
inferno John stood back as to not disrupt his colleagues and began taking photos of the scene imagery of life
fires was a useful asset for training seminars to show just how quickly a fire can expand to engulf a building south
Pasadena's fire chief jean marie was assuming command of the oles fire when he was notified that another retail fire
was in progress at Vons market just three blocks away the oles fire required chief Murray's full attention
so after spotting John or Marie asked the Glendale asked an investigator to help him out by heading to Vaughn's
market to conduct an investigation on his behalf John obliged and upon inspecting the scene at Vons market he
determined that the fire had also been intentionally lit in Iraq of potato chip bags just like the fire earlier at
Albertson's market although both retail fires were contained before any serious damage occurred their similarities and
close proximity led John to suspect a serial arsonist there was active in the area afterwards John returned to the
oles home Center blaze which had by morning consumed the entire building 50 year-old aide a deal and her
two-year-old grandson Matthew Troy doll never made it out the rapid and relentless fire had claimed two fair
lives along with the lives of two old lease employees 17-year old high school student and talented baseball player
Jimmy Cetina and 26 year-old a married mother of two Carolyn Kraus investigators entered the
remnants of the building to begin the difficult task of locating the bodies of the four victims and trying to determine
what had caused the catastrophic blaze sergeant Chuck Palmer from the arson and explosive unit of the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department was designated to lead the investigation he interviewed all these employees to gain an
understanding of the layout of the store and to learn where the smoke had first been spotted after just 90 minutes of
investigation sergeant Palmer suspected that an electrical shorting in the building's attic was the likely source
of the fire he determined the combustible materials within the store had worked as powerful fuel turning the
blaze into a disaster John Orr expressed concern the sergeant Palmas investigation was moving too fast and
believed more time should be spent to consider all possible causes including arson John spent seven hours conducting
his own investigation of the scene thoroughly examining the damage and considering the fires possible point of
origin unlike sergeant Palmer's conclusion John suspected the fire could have originated
from a pool of highly combustible poly foreign products he based this suspicion on several other arson fires that had
occurred in the Greater Los Angeles area over the past few years given the to market fires that had
broken out nearby on the same night John Orr expressed his opinion that the oles
fire could have been started by a serial arsonist despite John Orr's theory as sergeant
Palma was leading the investigation he made the final call much to John's disappointment
Palmer ruled the fire as accidental and the case was closed John Orr complained about the oles
investigation ruling to Dennis Foote and asked an investigator from the Los Angeles Fire Department John was not
someone whose opinions on the matter could be easily dismissed his career was spent conducting research into arson
profiling he had a unique understanding of the mind of an arsonist which he perceived to be far more complex than
that of a simple vandal in one article published in the American fire journal about the habits of serial arsonists
John wrote quote the fire becomes a friend they can relate to their fires bring attention friends admiration as
heroes and self esteem like a drug addict one good score leads to the desire for another John's work delivered
innovative insights into the motivations of serial fire starters his training sessions were popular amongst his peers
providing valuable information and techniques on how to identify this unique type of perpetrator and improved
conduct when inspecting scenes of suspected arson so when John Orr told Dennis Foote his belief that the oles
home sent a blaze could have been started by the same polyfoam arsonist that it's
throughout Los Angeles over the past four years foot had a little reason to doubt John suspicions
Dennis foot was familiar with the polyfoam arson fires John was referencing as he had attended the scene
of one of them there he found two the remnants of an incendiary delay device amongst the
debris the device consisted of a cigarette butt with three matches attached to it by a rubber band this
kind of device is designed to give the arsonist plenty of time to flee the scene as the cigarette takes about 15
minutes to burn down before igniting the matches and setting fire to any flammable material in the vicinity when
such a device is recovered that's rare to find a full fingerprint or any other information that can be used to identify
the arsonist a few days after the oles disaster and minor fire erupted in the polyfoam
section of a hardware store 17 miles away in North Hollywood after learning of this fire
Dennis Foote became increasingly intrigued by John Orr's theory that a serial arsonist was still active in the
community Foote was interested in reinvestigating the oles incident but the building's
charred remains had since been almost completely cleared by a wrecking company two months after the tragic fire that
claimed four lives another roley's home center located in nearby Pasadena had a scare of its own a member of staff found
a partially burned incendiary device in a pile of poly foam the device which consisted of a cigarette and three
matches bound together with a rubber band had been lightly singed but failed to ignite given that the South Pasadena
oles fire had officially been ruled accidental the two all these fires were not linked
On January 13 1997 arson investigators from all over the state made their way to Fresno the city 220 miles north of
Los Angeles for the California conference of arson investigators a range of topics relating to different
aspects of law enforcement and fire investigation would be covered at during the three-day seminar 242 attendees
gathered for the event including arson investigators firefighters insurance investigators
lawyers and members of the police force as the first evening of the conference was underway an employee at a nearby
pharmacy pay less drugs noticed smoke rising from a pile of sleeping bags within moments the display burst into
flames the stores interior was fitted with overhead sprinklers which were quickly activated promptly extinguishing
the blaze the following day the Hancock Fabrics craft store located directly across the street from Payless Drugs
experienced its own fire emergency a customer noticed smoke rising up in the northwest corner of the building before
it erupted into violent flames that quickly spread along the walls and ceiling the store was evacuated and
shoppers and employees watched in shock as the building turned into a blazing inferno no one was seriously hurt but
the shop was almost completely destroyed the point of origin for the Hancock Fabrics fire was identified as a storage
bin filled with styrofoam pellets typically used for stuffing pillows and beanbags investigators conducted a
diligent search of the remains and discovered an incendiary delay device made from a partially burned cigarette
with three matches attached to it by a rubber band as Fresno investigators pondered the
link between the fires at Payless drugs and Hancock Fabrics a third fire was reported to authorities this one
occurred at another craft retail outlet House of fabrics just a block away from the previous fires a house of fabrics
employee noticed the burn marks scorched into the wall behind a bin filled with foam pillows and when they looked inside
found an incendiary device made from a cigarette matches and a rubber band it was sheer luck that the fire had
extinguished itself before causing any destruction then on the final morning of the California Conference of arson
investigators a fourth fire broke out this time in the town of Tulare about an hour's drive south east of Fresno at
10:45 a.m. a fire arose in a display of sleeping bags at outdoor adventure retail store surplus city just 45
minutes later at the family bargain center thrift store also in Tulare an employee noticed smoke coming from a
wooden display being filled with foam pillows the store manager quickly extinguished the fire found at the
bottom of the bin was a partially burned cigarette tied the two matches and a yellow note paper with a rubber band
despite the similarities the fires in Tulare and Fresno were not immediately linked most Californian cities are
equipped with their own fire department solely responsible for handling emergencies within their designated
region therefore they are not made immediately aware of fires occurring in differing jurisdictions when a third
Central Valley City was struck the connection between the attacks continued to go unnoticed hours after the Tulare
attacks the fire department in Bakersfield Hasid en hours drive south was summoned to the art and craft store
craft at 2:00 p.m. a staff member noticed flames flickering in a display bin full
of dry materials used for making floral arrangements due to the employees prompt observation
and the quick thinking of the store manager the fire was swiftly put out with a fire extinguisher
Bakersfield Fire Department captain Marvin Casey arrived to the craft Mart scene and immediately examined the chart
display bin hidden under the white powder left by the fire extinguisher he found an incendiary device a
cigarette butt three matches rubber band and a partially singed shade of yellow notebook paper there was a significant
discovery as a large section of the notebook paper was still intact wearing gloves and using a pair of tweezers
Casey carefully placed each piece of the device into evidence envelopes and sealed them shut only 30 minutes after
the Krasnaya blazed the Bakersfield Fire Department was alerted to a second emergency and yet another Hancock
Fabrics store a staff member heard a hissing noise coming from a display being filled with foam rubber padding
almost immediately to being erupted into blue flames which quickly spread up the
wall and triggered the overhead sprinklers captain Marvin Casey was in a state of disbelief when he arrived on
the scene two fires occurring in Bakersfield retail craft stores within an hour of one another was unheard of he
believed it was too unusual to be a mere coincidence suspecting the spree was the
work of a serial arsonist it wasn't until case he spoke to investigators in Fresno that he learned
of the almost identical arson attacks that had taken place days prior in Fresno and on the same day in Tulare DMO
of each attack was exactly the same retail stores were targeted with the fire started by matching incendiary
devices placed within highly flammable products suggesting that all fires had been started
by the same offender given the alleged crimes occurred over multiple Californian jurisdictions the case was
assigned to federal law enforcement specifically the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
like most arson attacks there was very little evidence and no suspects said the case presented a challenge although
several incendiary devices were recovered the only promising piece of evidence was the near intact remains of
the one found on the scene of the Bakersfield craft Mart fire as it was the only one that held hopes of
returning a fingerprint the incendiary device was sent to undergo testing surprisingly a viable fingerprint was
found on one of the pieces of yellow note paper attached to the device the print was run through the criminal
database but failed to return a match confirming the arsonist didn't have a criminal record with the unidentified
fingerprint leading nowhere the arson investigation officers from Bakersfield Fresno and Tulare started focusing on
whether there could be any significance in the locations of the attacks each thought targeted was along Highway 99 a
major state highway that runs north to south stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley
investigators considered the likely possibility the arsonist to used Highway 99 as their route to each target
starting in Fresno then traveling southward striking at Tulare then Bakersfield the spree was made all the
more remarkable given its proximity to the California Conference of arson investigators occurring in Fresno at the
time captain Marvin Casey developed the theory that the arsonist may have purposely targeted the area because of
the conference he suggested the offender could be someone with a personal vendetta against the firefighter or
someone with expert knowledge of fires and delay devices who wanted to play the investigators for fools
he even considered the chilling possibility the offender may have attended the conference in some capacity
propelled by this theory Cayce contacted the Fresno conference facilitator and obtained a list of all 242 or 10 days he
cross-referenced this list against teacher ten days place of employment determining those who would have had the
drive southward down Highway 99 to return home from the conference passing directly through Tulare into Bakersfield
along the way knowing that arsonists are solitary creatures he also considered how many of
those attendees were traveling alone after crossing out the names of those who didn't fit this description only 55
names remained KC presented his theory and the 55 names to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms team but it
was not well received the special agents assigned to the case were uncomfortable
with the idea of viewing the well respected conference attendees as suspected criminals and saw no merit in
proceeding with an inquiry the theory was dismissed and with no other leads to follow the investigation hit a dead end
and the case went cold in March 1989 another arson investigation conference took place in
Pacific Grove an oceanside city in Monterey County on California's west coast attendees looked forward to the
conference not just for the event itself but because the route the Pacific Grove
took travelers through areas of striking Beauty exclusive golf courses and a charming seaside towns many participants
chose to extend to their trip for a few extra days to make the most of the journey on the evening of March 3 two
days before the conference was scheduled to begin a fire broke out in the back corner of Cornett variety store in Morro
Bay a coastal town 145 miles south of Pacific Grove flames emerged from a pall of foam pillows before being promptly
extinguished by a quick-thinking sales clerk the following day in the city of Salinas 90 miles east from Pacific Grove
a Woolworths five-and-dime variety store was significantly damaged by a fire that
had started in the stores bedding section no further fires were reported until March 9 the day after the
conference a retail fire spree hit several towns along Highway 101 a major north to south coastal road that links
the San Francisco Bay Area to the Greater Los Angeles region the stores targeted included Pacific home
improvements coast-to-coast hardware and a second Cornett variety store in the city of Atascadero a two-hour drive
south from Pacific Grove each of these fires were started with in various foam rubber and plastic products but had been
quickly extinguished no consistent witness reports were provided and only one piece of worthwhile evidence was
recovered the charred remains of an incendiary device found by an employee at Pacific home improvements it
consisted of a cigarette three matches and a yellow note paper tied together with a rubber band
soon after these events a fire was reported a 20-minute drive south in San Luis Obispo at the party exchange of
retail store selling gifts decorations and party suppliers this place was far more destructive completely destroying
the building investigators suspected the fire had been deliberately lit inside a
pile of packing material when word of this Central Coast fire spray spread throughout the arson
investigation community captain Marvin Casey couldn't believe what he was hearing he immediately noticed the
similarities between the current spray and to the Central Valley spree from two years prior where fires were
deliberately led inside retail stores in Fresno Tulare and Bakersfield both fire sprees occurred within the
vicinity of an arson investigation conference leading KC to return to his original theory that the perpetrator may
have been an attendee yet both discreetly Casey contacted the Pacific Grove conference organizers to request a
list of all attendees he then cross-referenced it against the list of the Fresno conference attendees and a
narrowed the names down until only ten remained belonging to persons who had attended both events Casey then
contacted the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and once again presented his theory that the serial arsonist
could be targeting the conference participants all be involved with the events in some capacity yet just like in
1987 his speculation was not met with enthusiasm however with no other promising leads for the Central Coast
fires burry the bureau agreed to quietly run the fingerprint obtained from the incendiary device found at the 1987
Bakersfield craft Mart fire against the fingerprints of the ten participants on Casey Celeste
as each of Casey's 10 suspects were Public Safety employees their fingerprints were stored on file in a
separate database as part of a standard employment requirement once again the fingerprint comparison
returned a zero matches its owner remaining a mystery still having no evidence to back it up
KC's theory was dismissed for the second time in late June of 1990 another arson
investigation convention was held in Fresno glendale's dedicated arson investigator
John Orr usually looked forward to these events as a chance to share his knowledge and network with colleagues
but he had a lot of work on his plate as he had recently been promoted to fire captain a position well earned after
scoring 98% on the written exam Jones sent his partner John Yaeger to attend at the conference in his place while he
held down the fort in Glendale it was one of the hottest driest summers Glendale had experienced in a long time
and the strong winds were keeping everyone on high alert several deliberately lit fires had
recently broken out amongst the foothills and the arson investigation unit wasn't having luck identifying any
suspects John Orr wanted to remain in Glendale in case there were any developments in the case
On June 27 the temperature soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with winds blowing 35 miles per hour it was the
kind of day firefighters dread where the elements align and a fire disaster seemed imminent at 324 p.m. the Glendale
Fire Department received an alert that a brush fire was making its way up the hill near north Paducah road in
glendale's College Hills neighborhood fire engines raced to the scene but the conditions were too erratic and the fire
was already blazing out of control by the time they arrived flames were jumping from the roof of one house to
the next making their way up the hill saw it as the smoke became so heavy it was impossible to see through due to the
weather conditions and overgrowth of I brush the fire moved faster than most members of the fire department had ever
seen before with flames rapidly sweeping up before crossing the Glendale freeway
firefighters from every jurisdiction in the San Gabriel Valley rushed to the scene their engines blocking every
straight as smoke and ash encased the sky sirens and air horns echoed through the area as police established
barricades and tried to keep frantic residents at a safe distance the names of children and pets were yelled by
de-stressed witnesses watching as helicopters circled above dropping gallons of water onto the inferno as
firefighters desperately tackled the flames John Orr wasted no time keep starting his investigation into the
cause of the blaze straightaway he followed the charred path of the fire to locate the point of origin
when he identified the fire starting point he barricaded the area as a crime scene based on the burn patterns had
appeared the fire had been started at the bottom of a ravine where the winds quickly drew the flames up the hill by
the time the winds finally died down and firefighters extinguished the blaze the
College Hills fires had completely destroyed 46 homes damaged 20 others and caused 50 million dollars in damage
given the extent of the fires it was a miracle that nobody had been killed or seriously injured the lack of any
significant discoveries at the scene was not unusual for a fire of this magnitude
but we've had a breakthrough this would be a tough case to crack johnross spoke about his investigations
to the press during which he revealed insider information about the fires point of origin
this action drew ire from his colleagues who wish to treat that information sensitively and they were concerned that
publicly revealing intimate details of the crime would alert the arsonist that the authorities were on to them a
detective from the Glendale Police Department joined John Orr in door knocking the apartment building across
from the fires point of origin to question potential witnesses one resident reported seeing a five foot ten
dark-haired man in khaki pants standing across the street before the brush fires
began this description was noted but didn't lead anywhere until a phone tip line was established
for anyone who had any information but nothing of great use came through by August the calls had dried up entirely
with no leads handed no evidence had seemed highly unlikely that the person responsible for starting the college
Hills fires would ever be identified as there was no shortage of other fires under investigation
the Glendale arson unit had no choice but to focus its attention on other more pressing matters John or hindered the
job of interviewing locals over to Glendale Police and ended his active role in the investigation his partner
wasn't happy with this decision the John dismissed his concerns stating he had too much paperwork to focus on adamant
the arson unit should continue an in-depth investigation John's partner brought this up to the chief but
eventually as with many suspected arson cases the College Hills Fire was shelved
amongst the many unsolved case files a few months after the college Hills catastrophe a series of 19 arson attacks
overwhelmed the Los Angeles area occurring between December 1990 and March 1991 most fires happened during
the middle of the day within retail stores in piles of highly combustible materials including blankets pillows
foam and plastic products several buildings were destroyed with the arson attacks racking up a significant damage
bill and putting many employees out of work the remains of incendiary devices consisting of cigarette butts matches
rubber bands and a yellow note paper were found on the scene at several of the fires this arson spree was
unprecedented in Los Angeles multiple attacks had occurred within the same day and there had even been two attacks
within one hour witnesses reported seeing people of varying descriptions on the scene before the blazes broker but
none of the descriptions were consistent and to no suspects could be identified this spate of arson attacks was so
extreme that a task force was formed to focus solely on the case it was named the pillow pyro task force after the
offender's proclivity for starting fires within displays of pillows and foam the
task force assembled a group of investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms the Los Angeles
Fire Department and other local agencies to brief them on the recent spate of arson attacks and the perpetrators mo a
flyer was distributed to the meeting attendees which listed 17 of the Los Angeles fires believed to be started by
the pillow pyro along with a detailed description of the arsonists signature incendiary device
during the meeting it was brought to the task force's attention that a series of
similar attacks had taken place in central California back in 1987 and in 1999 the ones in Fresno Tulare
Bakersfield Morro Bay Salinas Atascadero and San Luis Obispo the mo and signature
device for these attacks matched the elusive pillo pyro to a tee the taskforce was informed that a traceable
though unidentified fingerprint had been recovered from an incendiary device found at one of the Bakersfield stores
he gotta follow this lead the pillo pyro Task Force made its way to Bakersfield to meet with captain Marvin Casey the
investigator who originally discovered the incendiary device that the Bakersfield craft Mart fire in 1987
Marvin Casey relayed his long-standing theory to the taskforce that the arsonist may have been an attendee at
the Fresno and Pacific Grove arson conventions but like others before them the pillo pyro task force wasn't buying
it the idea had been proven to be without merit when the fingerprint taken from the incendiary device failed to
match with any of the 10 names on KC's potential suspect list however the task force figured it was worth running the
fingerprints through the criminal database for a second time in case the offender had since been busted for
another crime and now had a criminal record this time the print was scanned through
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department laboratory using the Los Angeles Hall of Justice computer which
not only held the fingerprints of criminals but also the prince of all County law enforcement officers
including anyone who had ever applied for a job in law enforcement the extensive database was much more
comprehensive than the ones used previously coupled with major improvements in fingerprint matching technology the
chance of finding a match was far more likely than before but the task force wasn't holding its breath a few days
later the killer pyro Task Force received a call from the lab they were warned that their arson investigators
needed to be more careful when handling evidence a technician had just tried to run the fingerprint through the database
only to discover that it belonged to a member of the Glendale Fire Department and appeared a contamination had
occurred during investigations likely the result of the incendiary device being handled without proper precautions
the fingerprint belonged to highly regarded arson investigator John or Marvin Casey revealed that John Orr had
not entered the Bakersfield scene in any official capacity this ruled out the possibility that John touched the
incendiary device during the initial investigation process in another twist John Orr's name was featured on Casey's
thoroughly analyzed the list of 10 potential suspects having attended both the 1987 California conference of arson
investigators in Fresno and to the 1989 conference held in Pacific Grove John Orr's workplace was in Glendale a city
north of central Los Angeles and his family home was situated in the neighboring suburb of Eagle Rock
both locations stemmed from highways 101 and 99 the routes Marvin Casey concluded
the arsonist traveled when hitting the targets within the allocated time frames it was likely John would have driven
these highways to and from both conferences it was also known that he took at both trips alone this revelation
was additionally surprising as John Orr's partial fingerprint on the incendiary device had actually been
tested against his employee print sheet back in 1989 however the technician failed to make the connection due to
limitations in fingerprint technology at the time despite conducting complex analysis he was limited to using a form
of manual testing that involved visually comparing the samples and didn't notice
the similarities between prints this oversight would later be considered a grave human error
investigators pause thus the full weight of what they were considering sunk in the incendiary device hadn't been
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it recruiter the smartest way to hire the revelation that the pillow pyro could be a well-respected arson
investigator and fire captain who is an incredibly sensitive breakthrough and to
the task force had to tread extremely carefully to ensure the information remained strictly confidential in case
John was innocent those who were privileged to the information were in a deep state of shock at the possibility
that the alleged arsonist was John or a man they admired and esteemed a member of the firefighting community who
dedicated his life to catching fire bugs and keeping the community safe many of them had attended his training seminars
and found his insight into the minds and behaviors of pyromaniacs to be invaluable
John was widely regarded for his special ability to discover evidence at arson sites that other qualified fire
officials were unable to detect colleagues reported that John had always been fast at determining the cause of a
fire often locating incendiary devices with ease when a fire was blazing John would hastily appear at the scene and
was sometimes the first responder had also surprised to no one to see John present at fires even when he was off
duty upon reflection John's unique skills and peculiarities also spotlighted him as someone to view with
suspicion nevertheless without evidence the taskforce knew there was every chance speculation against John or could
boil down to mere coincidences for the pillo pyro taskforce identifying their suspect there was one thing but
putting a full-scale investigation into place and making an arrest was a different challenge altogether given the
severity of the accusations against the John or the United States Attorney's Office became involved they wanted to
establish a complete chain of evidence to build the most compelling case possible prosecuting a Californian fire
official for committing the very crimes he was hired to prevent was a major criminal case and they had to ensure the
investigation was meticulous John's fingerprint on the incendiary device was incriminating but the attorney's office
needed a lot more evidence to prove he was absolutely responsible for the amount of fires he was being accused of
starting in the print only linked him to the 1987 craft Mart fire in Bakersfield
but the signature ammo meant he could have been responsible for a countless number of arson attacks including the
recent outbreak in Los Angeles the Central Valley spree in 1987 and to the Central Coast spree in 1989 the US
Attorney's Office arranged a confidential meeting with John Orr's immediate superior battalion chief
Christopher gray to break the news that his prized arson investigator was now the focus of the pillo pyro
investigation the attorney's office warned to the chief that there was still a lot of work to be done to build their
case and that an arrest was still quite some time away while he refused to believe the allegations at first chief
gray agreed to provide whatever assistance he could including obtaining Collier sheets and phone records from
the Glendale Fire Department gray also informed the Attorney's Office that John Orr planned to attend a five-day
training course on peace officer safety in San Luis Obispo at the end of the month
this piece of information was of great interest to the attorney's office as the fact that John would be attending a
multi-day training course presented a golden opportunity to help build their case if history was anything to go by
this was when the pillow pyro was most likely to strike on the morning of April 28 1991 the day before the training
course was scheduled to begin John Orr drove towards in the West Obispo a city roughly midway between Los Angeles and
San Francisco he was unaware that a tracking device had been placed underneath his car or the fact he was
being tailed by six surveillance cars her fixed-wing aircraft and a team of undercover agents the surveillance
vehicles couldn't keep sight of him for long as John hit the freeway at breakneck speed despite his recklessly
fast driving John Orr made his way towards his hotel the tracking device revealing he made a
no suspicious stops along the way the following night an undercover agent followed John into Thrifty's drugstore
in San Luis Obispo and to watch as he purchased what appeared to be a pack of cigarettes when John left the store the
agent identified himself to the sales clerk and obtained a receipt for John's purchase the receipt confirmed that John
had bought two packs of Marlboro light cigarettes this was a promising piece of evidence as the task force knew that
John was not a smoker the taskforce maintained strong surveillance of John's actions over the following days
convinced they would catch their suspect in the act but to their surprise the rest of the training course went by with
the audience alone yet undercover agents confirmed to John didn't take a cigarette break at any
point during the five-day training course and to no cigarette butts were found in his hotel room suggesting the
Marlboro Lights were still in John's possession the surveillance team was certain John
would used the cigarettes to create his signature incendiary delay device to use
as he made his way home to Eagle Rock anticipation was high on the final morning of the training seminar then as
John approached his vehicle to attend he's the last day of training something caught his attention a prickling sense
of panic overwhelmed the surveillance team as they watched John's squat down at the rear of his car to inspect
something underneath the antenna of the tracking device the surveillance team had attached had become visible into
their suspect had spotted it initially furious at themselves for not concealing the device more thoroughly
the surveillance team Zanger quickly turned to astonishment as John or seemingly disregarded the discovery he
simply climbed into his car and drove off the wilded the team discreetly followed John to his destination the San
Luis Obispo Police Department as soon as John left the police station two members
of the pillow pyro Task Force entered and identified themselves to the on-duty police lieutenant they were relieved to
learn that John had misidentified their tracking device telling the lieutenant he believed a bomb was strapped
underneath his car the lieutenant offered to call the bomb disposal squad to investigate but John simply asked for
directions to the closest explosives disposal range he explained that as a fireman he
understood these kinds of threats and could take care of it himself the range was only two miles away so the task
force had to think quick they called the range and spoke to the bomb sergeant on
duty hastily filling him in on their situation and her questing' that he play along with john's
theory that their tracking device was indeed a bomb upon John's arrival the bomb surgeon removed the tracker and the
lied about it as requested saying it was a harmless fake explosive probably put there by hooligan kids in the area for a
cheap thrill the sergeant assured John the device couldn't hurt a fly but advised he would be happy to send it
through to the training institute for confirmation John agreed but oddly before he left the range he stopped to
take a few photos of the device including a tracking number listed on it which linked back to the Bureau of
Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms this action suggests that he didn't buy the lie about the bomb and perhaps suspected it
was a tracker all along adjusting his behavior accordingly he then returned to his car and attended the final training
session as planned any expectation that John would act had faded by the afternoon as his wife arrived to join
him in seeing the waist Obispo nevertheless the task force held surveillance on the holidaying couple
over the following two days but nothing suspicious occurred the sting operation reached it's disappointing conclusion
when John and his wife made an uneventful journey home to Eagle Rock having failed at the Buster John or as
their serial arsonist the pillow pyro surveillance team went home defeated their efforts had been sabotaged by the
misplaced tracker and the same two luckily John was now aware he was being watched
surveillance continued in Glendale but John's notoriously dangerous and unpredictable driving habits made him
difficult to follow since the pillo pyro Task Force had been established there hadn't been a single
arson attempt at any retail store within Los Angeles County the task force checked the daily fire reports
diligently hoping to find something they could link their suspect to but nothing
new came through at a loss the task force considered whether they should make an arrest neo based on the little
evidence they heard in the hopes it was enough to build a case for the 1987 retail fires that were started in Fresno
to Larry and a Bakersfield as they deliberated over their next step the taskforce managed to obtain a recent
mud shot of John or the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a phony request for members of the fire investigators
regional strike team of which John was a member to have headshots taken for publication purposes John happily posed
for the camera his photograph was then used in a photo lineup and presented to a variety of witnesses from the multiple
arson crime scenes with several pointing out John wall's photograph and identifying him as either a customer or
as being on location shortly before a fire broke out following this development the pillo pyro task force
was given permission to install a teletrac device in John Orr's car the state-of-the-art tracking device used
the cutting edge technology and it wasn't yet widely known about within the law-enforcement community so there was
no way for John to be aware or suspicious of it the next time his car was put in for regular servicing the
unobtrusive device was fitted under John's dashboard where it couldn't be accidentally spotted had provided the
taskforce with a real-time record of his car's movements in 15-minute intervals in the meantime a year's worth of
call-out sheets provided by the Glendale Fire Department were examined the records confirmed that John had been
unaccounted for or working alone during every date that a suspected pillow pyro fire occurred by October 1991 the
processes were in motion to get a federal grand jury to hand down an indictment to formally charge John or
for the 1987 Central Valley Fire spree in the meantime the US Attorney's Office was securing search warrants of John
Orr's Eagle Rock property for when an eventual arrest was made having been informed that John was in
the process of writing a novel members of the pillow pyro task force were shocked to learn that John's novel told
the story of a firefighter who moonlights as a serial arsonist the manuscript was near complete and John
was in the final stages of sending it to literary agents for paid feedback John's
novel titled a points of origin told the story of Aaron Stiles a firefighter and
serial arsonist in the Los Angeles area who becomes sexually aroused when starting fires his colleague arson
investigator Phil Langtry is desperate to catch the serial arsonist terrorizing the community throughout his
investigation Langtry starts theorizing that the perpetrator could be a fellow firefighter along with explicit and
often violent sexual content the manuscript contained detailed descriptions about the very fires the
pillo pyro Task Force was investigating when the task force compared to the fictional movements of points of origin
character Aaron Stiles to the real-life crime sir John Orr was suspected of the similarities between fact and fiction
were barely distinguishable both men were firefighters non-smokers and a houston incendiary delay device
designed to give them 10 to 15 minutes getaway time they both started fires in hardware stores fabric stores and other
retail stores within styrofoam and other highly combustible products sometimes hitting multiple targets within a short
time frame astonishingly both men also started fires while they were traveling to and from an arson conference held in
Fresno when describing Aaron Styles John Orr wrote quote he was a loner and insecure his fires
gave him the much-needed attention that he craved he was after all the only one who knew how the fire started
- Aaron the smoke was beautiful causing his heart rate to quicken and his breathing to calm in shallow gasps he
was trying to control his outward appearance and to look normal to anyone around him although John Orr presented
points of origin as a work of fiction it was impossible for the task force not to
read the manuscript as a confession the similarities were just too uncanny but the contents of a fictional novel could
not be proven as an admission of guilt or used as concrete evidence of a real-life Crone
regardless the manuscript was picked apart for any information that could be useful to the investigation including
the potential motivation behind John Orr's alleged actions on November 22 1991 John Orr had been under
surveillance for approximately seven months when a fire broke out on the set of a television show at Warner Brothers
Studios in Burbank after the fire was extinguished the city of Burbank Slade arson investigator Captain Steve
Patterson called on John Orr for advice oblivious to the fact his mentor was the
main suspect in a major arson case captain Patterson had only been working as an investigator for 18 months and
wanted the assistance and know-how of someone more experienced John said he just so happened to be in the area and
would be right over to help with the investigation struggling to give clear directions to the location of the fire
Patterson instead agreed to meet John outside the studio and personally escort him through the massive lot to the
damaged television set Patterson waited at the meet up point for ten minutes but John failed the show
when Patterson returned to the scene of the fire he was surprised than somewhat confused to find John already there
regardless Patterson was happy to have the help after the two investigators examined the scene they agreed the fire
was a result of arson the teletrac device in John's vehicle only recorded his movements in 15-minute intervals so
it didn't record his whereabouts at all times that data didn't place John at Warner Brothers Studio when the blaze
broke out but it did put him in the general vicinity making it the first deliberately led fire John or could be
placed at since the pillo pyro Task Force had been established surely after 2:00 p.m. the following day former Los
Angeles Fire Department captain Gary Saito was dropping down the foothill freeway in Glendale sidle was one of the
few people who knew John or was the suspect of the pillo pyro investigation and spotted the men as they pulled up
alongside one another at an intersection the two acknowledged each other with a beep of their horns before turning their
separate ways although it seemed unlikely John would attempt anything knowing seidel had witnessed him in the
area Saito was stunned when just 15 minutes after observing John's vehicle turned south a column of smoke appeared
in the sky followed by another just minutes later two separate brush fires had broken out in nearby neighborhoods
one in Glendale and another a nine minute drive away in the city of LA cañada Flintridge John Orr's voice
broadcast over the emergency dispatch radio informing all listening departments that he was heading to the
Glendale fire firefighters that the Larkin yard a Flint Ridge scene were surprised when John Orr appeared moments
later despite having announced his position at the other fire scene after the fires
were extinguished and asked an investigator for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department determined that
both fires were deliberately he believed the possible that one was used as a diversionary tactic to allow
the other more time to burn before firefighters arrived it wasn't necessarily John Orr's presence at the
Warner Brothers Studios Glendale and de la cañada Flintridge fires that was unusual
he was an arson investigator after all what did raise suspicions was the sheer speed in which John arrived to each
location giving the impression he was one step ahead of dispatchers and fire crews coupled with the fact he was
trapped or witnessed in proximity of the scene of the crimes moments prior to or
following the attacks the US Attorney's Office became increasingly nervous until
now John was only being accused of starting retail fires but they couldn't rule out the possibility that he had
escalated to outdoor fires where the damage had higher potential to be truly catastrophic they needed to make an
arrest before John or put more lives at risk on the early morning of December 4 1991
John Orr walked towards his car on his Eagle Rock property when he was startled by multiple voices shouting at him to
put his hands in the air a team of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms officers from the
Los Angeles Police Department and members of the Los Angeles Fire Department arson unit swiftly encircled
him John was arrested immediately and taken to the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast division for
interviewing John denied any involvement with any arson attacks but strangely asked how many fingerprints they had
found thorough searches were conducted of John Orr's home car and office several items of interest were found
including cigarettes matches rubber bands yellow note paper and a copy of the pillow pyro flier that had been
distributed by the task force photos and videos of some of the fires John Orr was
accused of starting were also found some footage even featured the properties prior to them being damaged by fire so
he had before-and-after shots John insisted he had a genuine reason for possessing these items which were
all used for training purposes he would use the cigarettes matches and paper to show students how arsonists can create
an incendiary device out of common objects the photos and video footage were used to show how quickly fire can
spread according to John it was a mere coincidence that some of the locations featured in his videos were later said a
lot he maintained he only filmed them for educational purposes to exhibit properties that presented a fire hazard
when we debate Minh obligations weren't met also discovered amongst to John's belongings were the photos of the
tracking device he had spotted under his vehicle in San Luis Obispo along with the post-it note containing the Bureau
of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms tracking number most incriminating of all were copies of
letters John had sent to literary agents to accompany his points of origin manuscript they contained strictly
classified details about arson investigations that John Orr had no way of knowing about without some level of
involvement in the crimes in one letter John wrote my novel is a fact-based work
that follows the pattern of an actual arsonist that has been setting serial fires in California over the past eight
years he has not been identified or apprehended and probably will not be in the near future as in the real case the
arsonist in my novel is a firefighter he explained that an arsonist who not only stays close by but sometimes even
participates in the discovery and extinguishment of their fire in another letter
John revealed he was a suspect in an ongoing arson investigation adding that at one point he even found a tracking
device attached to his car John ended this letter with the comment by the way I'm not the arsonist
when the task force notified John's colleagues of his arrest a friend and fellow arson investigator suggests that
they look into the deadly 1984 fire at all these homes Center in South Pasadena according to this source John had been
obsessed with the case for years and still maintained the oles fire had been deliberately lit the fact that the
inferno had been deemed an accident was an ongoing source of annoyance for John upon hearing this information Special
Agent Michael Matassa who had worked tirelessly on the pillow pyro case was reminded of a chapter in points of
origin where John wrote about a fire at a location named Cal's hardware store during the fictional fire at Cal's five
people died in the inferno including a little boy named Matthew in the novel the arson investigators are deemed too
stupid to realize the fire was deliberately lit in the real lolis Home Center fire four people died including a
two-year-old boy named Matthew and the fire was ruled an accident assistant US Attorney's Walter brown and Stefan Stine
would later say that the cow's fire written in Orr's novel mirrored the fiery Dolly's quote to the point of
being McCobb John Orr's points of origin manuscript was meticulously examined for
other real-life parallels and many more of the book's fictional fires were linked to real incidents for which the
pillo pyro was not yet a suspect when Cooley out sheets were inspected John Orr had been off duty or working alone
during every one of those fires the task force started receiving phone calls from
fire fighters and arson investigators throughout California who believed John Orr could be linked to even more
unresolved cases this included the glendale brush fires of the early 1980s which had only
increased after john started working for the region's fire department even dan yeager John
was investigation partner suspected something wasn't quite right with his colleague Yaeger founder John's
disinterest in pursuing an in-depth investigation into the 1990 college Hills Inferno peculiar John had publicly
declared the catastrophic Hill site fire was the work of an arsonist but then abruptly shelved the case
without conducting a worthwhile investigation given the extent of the blaze which destroyed many homes in the
area Yeager pushed John to continue exploring the case but John shut down the idea
this seemingly coincided with a witness informing police that she spotted a suspicious man in the area known as
prior to the blaze who in hindsight matched the physical description of John or the exact number of fires started by the
pillo pyro was unknown and for list of potential attacks grew by the day but on July 21 1992 John Orr went on trial in a
United States District Court for the 1987 Central Valley retail fire spray that began in Fresno John Orr was
charged with five counts of arson two in Fresno two in Bakersfield and one in Tulare at the conclusion of the trial
the jury declared a John Orr guilty of three counts the craft Mart and Hancock fabric fires in Bakersfield enter the
family bargain fire in Tulare due to a lack of evidence he was acquitted of all charges for the two fresno fires upon
sentencing on November 2 1992 John's plea for leniency was read out to the court where he maintained his innocence
quote your honor my life has been dedicated to the fire service and law enforcement for over 22 years I have
personally been trapped by fire and smoke on three occasions I know the panic the terror and the helplessness
that even a well-equipped professional firefighter can experience as a fire advances uncontrolled I know how those
witnesses fell my heart went out to them I don't wish that kind of experience on
anyone and I feel helpless and frustrated because the person responsible remains at large I have
fought fires performed rescues and carried the bodies of men women and children who have died as a result of
fire and smoke presiding judge Wagner responded quote the evidence was substantial you are guilty of each of
these counts and what I must say to you as a sworn law enforcement officer is that the proof of your guilt then
establishes that you betrayed the highest trust that was placed in you to protect the public from the terror you
have described John Orr was sentenced to ten years in prison for each count to run
consecutively he was also ordered to pay restitution of two hundred and twenty five thousand nine hundred and seventy
one dollars to the victims of those three fires with the Central Valley court proceedings now complete the
pillow pyro task force was busy putting together the next case against John all he was charged with eight further counts
of arson the three that occurred in Atascadero during the Pacific Grove arson conference in 1989 and five in the
Los Angeles retail spray of late in 1990 and early 91 by this point john's lawyer
convinced his client that offering a plea deal was in his best interest he recommended that john plead guilty to
the three Atascadero fires where no significant damage had occurred and therefore no civil liability expenses
would be applied in exchange for this guilty plea the attorney would request that the five los angeles fire charges
be dropped however john's attorney also advised his client that the district attorney's
office was conducting an investigation into the 1990 college hills fire and at the deadly oles home center blaze of
1994 hoping to build a case against John John's lawyer warned him against taking
the plea deal if there was any chance that such an inquiry had momentum John Ziemann Lee maintained he had no
involvement with those fires and two there was absolutely no evidence to prove otherwise he reassured his
attorney telling him that they had nothing to fear the US Attorney's Office agreed to the plea deal on the condition
that John plead guilty to at least one of the Los Angeles retail fires hoping to save his wife from losing their house
John took the deal on May 12 1993 John Orr pled guilty to the three counts of arson that caused the least damage of
the - in Atascadero and one in Los Angeles he was sentenced to 96 months imprisonment for each count to be served
concurrently alongside his 30 year sentence for the Central Valley fires during the extensive investigation into
John Orr's potential crimes it was discovered that the number of brush fires near Glendale landed Surrey ons
had skyrocketed into the hundreds since John started work with the region's fire
department investigators believed John Orr was responsible for a majority of fires in the Glendale region over the
past decade a suspicion supported by the statistic that arson fires in the area had dropped by more than 90 percent
since his arrest on November 21 1994 the district attorney presented a 25 count indictment against the John Leonard Orr
- a Los Angeles grand jury in relation to the 1984 oles Home Center blaze the indictment charged to John with one
count of arson and four counts of murder for the deaths evaded deal Matthew Troy --dl Carolyn Krause and a
Jimmy Cetina John was also charged with one count of arson for the 1991 Warner Brothers Studio fire 16 counts of arson
four homes destroyed in the 1990 College Hills fire and three counts of arson for
brush fires that destroyed homes in Glendale and a la cañada Flintridge in 1991 due to the murder charges John Orr
was now facing the death penalty the trial began four years later in April 98 after John Orr had already
spent seven years in prison the prosecution presented key evidence including the 350 page points of origin
manuscript 110 videos and audio tapes made by John a dozens of fires communications with more enforcement
authorities the letters to literary agents that Jon authored and testimony from 100 witnesses the fact that John had
pled guilty to three other fires that used the same MO and signature incendiary device was strongly used
against him although the points of origin manuscript was only intended to form a small part
of the prosecution's case attorneys argued had provided clear evidence of motive
during the trial sections of the manuscript were read aloud with a particular focus on a chapter where the
main character of Aaron Styles places a slow-burning incendiary device made from
a cigarette and rubber band into polyurethane foam cushions in Cal's hardware store the resulting fire kills
several employees and customers including a woman and her toddler grandson named Matthew the prosecution
revealed overt and disturbing similarities between this scene and to the real-life Ollie's home center fire
in his novel John Orr described to the cows hardware store scene quote the last thing she heard was a tremendous roar as
the fire burned through the roof and vented to the outside the smoke momentarily lifted but was then replaced
by solid fire as the entire contents of the annex exploded into flames their last breaths were of 800 degree heat is
seared their throats closed the prosecution told the jury that John Orr intentionally with the fires in the
potato-chip Isles at Vons market and Albertsons market shortly before the oles Home Center fire to create a
diversion ten minutes after the oles fire started John Orr who was off duty at the time
appeared on the scene with a camera around his neck and began taking photos of the blaze attending personnel assumed
he was documenting the fire to reference in a future seminar but upon reflection
it was likely John was collecting mementos of his crime the day after the oles plays john told a
family member of one of the victims that the fire was a result of arson started from an incendiary device placed
inside poly foam products this was despite sergeant jack Palmer's ruling that the fire was accidental and caused
by an electrical fault the prosecution reference to this against the neck served from the points
of origin manuscript which stated quote Aaron wanted the Cal's fire to be called
arson he loved the inadvertent attention he derived from the newspaper coverage and hated it when he wasn't properly
recognized the deaths were blotted out of his mind it wasn't his fault just stupid people acting as stupid people do
on June 26 1998 the jury found a John Leonard Orr guilty of four counts of first degree murder and all remaining
arson charges excluding the Warner Brothers Studio fire due to a lack of evidence in her victim impact statement
Kimberly the daughter of a daddy'll and mother of two year-old Matthew Troy doll
who were both tragically killed in the oles plays stated quote I frequently feel like the way a cat looks if he hold
it by the scruff of the neck in midair with arms and legs everything going everywhere and it is trying to get some
kind of perch but it can't because when I lost my mum I lost the person who has hold my hands
when I learned to walk I lost the person who put the veil on my head when I got married the one person
that I probably would have turned to who could understand and mothers the loss of
a child was my mum but she wasn't there to comfort me and in losing my child I have
lived with that guilt in the shame of it every single day because I know how afraid he was of dying in that horrible
place I know he thought mummy would come and save him because that's what mummys
do and I never came during the closing argument in favor of giving John or the death penalty prosecution lawyer
Sandra Flannery said quote he was as much a killer as someone who shoots their victims face to face only how John
Orr did it was with so much more terror and deception under the guise of being the protector of good John Orr was in
fact the perpetrator of evil under California state law the decision to recommend to the death penalty must be
unanimous with every member of the jury voting in favor in September 1998 the jury spared John Orr's life when they
were deadlocked eight to four in favor of sentencing him to death John Orr was instead sentenced to four consecutive
life terms without the possibility of parole for the murders evaded deal Matthew Troy --dl Jimmy Cetina and
Carolyn Kraus in addition to 21 years for the fires that damaged or destroyed dozens of homes around Glendale in
handing down the maximum sentence Judge Robert Perry said quote the enormity of the defendants crimes should not be
understated he embarked on a campaign of setting arson fires that is remarkable in the number of fires he set and in the
expert way he set them after the sentencing prosecuting attorney Micah Cabral said quote the lesson that this
case teaches us is that no one should be above suspicion when it comes to criminal activity there were many
instances where other investigators felt that something wasn't right and for a long period of time overlooked it
because of his position in fire service John Orr is currently serving his life sentence in a California state prison
where he maintains his innocence including for the fires he pled guilty to he claims to have accepted the plea
bargain only because he was emotionally and financially drained and wanted to save his fire department the
embarrassment and stress of another trial in regards to his points of origin manuscript John maintains the story is
entirely a work of fiction FBI criminal profilers have deemed to John ought to be one of the worst American serial
arsonists of the 20th century which some law enforcement officials believing he could be responsible for in excess of
2,000 fires over a 30-year period John Wallis actions behavior and writings have been used for research into the
firefighter arsonist phenomenon a marvel that has attracted considerable public interest in recent years according to a
2016 report from the National Volunteer Fire Council over 100 firefighters are arrested for arson annually the
perplexing behavior has been linked to a variety of motivators such as hero complexes boredom attention seeking
financial gain excitement and in some cases sexual gratification the unfortunate actions of these rare
criminal few threatened to tarnish the positive reputation that respected courageous firefighters and fire service
leaders have carefully crafted for centuries when firefighters first begin service they take an oath of office that
differs among jurisdictions with many using a poem of unknown origin commonly referred to as the fireman's pledge the
emotional pledge states I promise concerned for others a willingness to help all those in need
I promise courage courage to face and conquer my fears courage to share and enjoy the ordeal of those who need me I
promise strength strength of heart to bear whatever burdens might be placed upon me strength of body to deliver to
safety all those placed within my care I promised the wisdom to lead the compassion to comfort and to the love to
serve unselfishly whenever I am called [Music] you [Music]

Case 98: The Pillow Pyro

California is ranked as the US state most prone to wildfire, with over two million households at extreme risk at any time. The state has seen some of the most devastating fires in American history…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Elsha McGill Additional editing – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://www.casefilepodcast.com/case-98-the-pillow-pyro

Brief Summary

The episode recounts the Oles Home Center fire and the investigation into firefighter John Orr, who became a suspect in multiple arson cases.

Key points

Robin Hood: Invest with Confidence. Robin Hood is an investing app designed for ease of use, allowing newcomers to invest confidently.
Tragic Fire at Oles Home Center. A devastating fire at Oles Home Center claimed four lives, including a mother and her grandson.
The Arson Conference. Investigators gather in Fresno for a conference, unaware of the impending arson spree.
A Series of Fires. Multiple fires erupt in retail stores across California, linked by incendiary devices.
The Pillow Pyro Task Force. A task force is formed in response to unprecedented arson attacks in Los Angeles.
Fingerprint Controversy. A fingerprint linked to John Orr raises questions about his involvement in the arson cases.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

The best way to learn most things is to learn by doing.

Discussing how Robin Hood helps newcomers invest.

0:13WatchNov 20, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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