German dubbed 'Hollywood arsonist' found guilty

A German national dubbed the "Hollywood Arsonist," who threatened to "roast America," was convicted Thursday of setting dozens of fires in and around Los Angeles in revenge for his mother's deportation.

Harry Burkhart, 29, was found guilty of 25 counts of arson of property, 18 counts of arson of an inhabited dwelling and other charges, which included possession of an incendiary device.

The trial began August 15 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. It concluded with closing arguments on Wednesday, and jurors took less than a day to return a guilty verdict.

No one was killed during his flame-setting rampage, but damages to charred homes and cars are estimated at $3 million (2.68 million euros). He could get nearly 90 years in prison.

Sanity in question

But before sentencing jurors will have to determine if the former Frankfurt resident was mentally sane when the crimes were committed. If not, he could be sent to a psychiatric clinic.

"There were a lot of unfair claims I wish I could do something about," Burkhart told the judge through a German interpreter. The judge said Burkhart could pursue those claims during an appeal.

Burkhart started more than 40 fires in Hollywood, West Hollywood and the nearby San Fernando Valley between December 30, 2011, and January 2, 2012, when he was arrested, according to prosecutors.

Defense attorney Steve Schoenfield told the jury that prosecutors had only linked his client to six or seven fires and that "copycats" might have started the rest.

When the trial began, a prosecutor told jurors that Burkhart went on his rampage because he was irate about a deportation hearing that resulted in his Russian-born mother, Dorothee Burkhart, being extradited to Germany to face fraud charges.

The large number of fires Burkhart set "brought the fire department in this city to its knees," said Los Angeles County prosecutor Sean Carney during his opening argument.

Burkhart "wanted America to burn" and "was going to resolve his grievance through fire and fear," Carney said. "He was ready to set many more."

bik/gsw (AP, Reuters)