Arsonist Sentenced To Death For San Bernardino 'Old Fire'
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — Convicted arsonist Rickie Lee Fowler was sentenced Monday to receive the death penalty for starting a 2003 wildfire that killed five people and damaged more than 1,000 homes in the Inland Empire.
Rickie Lee Fowler, 31, was convicted Aug. 15, 2012, of five counts of first-degree murder and two counts of arson in connection with the "Old Fire".
The five victims in the fire died from heart attacks, as more than 90,000 acres burned near Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains.
District Attorney Michael Ramos said the sentence would finally bring closure to those who lost loved ones in the fire.
"Today, after nearly ten years, justice has now been secured for the victims and their families, and those whose lives were affected by the actions of Rickie Lee Fowler," Ramos said in a statement.
