Jacob Lovell, Cassie Lovell, Shane Duffy, Tammy Lovell and Steven Duffy
Man accused of murdering 5 in Mesa pleads guilty to arson
By Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
William Craig Miller, charged with murdering five people in Mesa five years ago, pleaded guilty Friday to related arson charges in the case.
Miller's arson case had been scheduled for trial on March 7, but he is now scheduled to be sentenced instead on Thursday.
The murder charges are still pending.
The execution-style slayings occurred Feb. 21, 2006. Police theorize that he was trying to silence two people from testifying in the arson case. In that case, police say he enlisted victim Steven Duffy to help him burn down his house for the insurance money.
Duffy felt guilty and confessed to his girlfriend, Tammy Lovell, another one of the victims, who urged him to go to the police.
"I'm just ecstatic. He has spared us a trial. I want him to spare us the murder trial," said Pat Morehart, the mother of two victims and the grandmother of two others. "I've been waiting for five years. Something like this is an unbelievable victory."
Karen Arra, a Maricopa County Superior Court spokeswoman, confirmed that Miller pled guilty to the arson charges but said his plea does not cover the murder charges. The murder case is scheduled for Aug. 1 and the prosecution is seeking the death penalty.
The victims in the murder case are Duffy, 30; and his brother Shane, 18; Lovell, 32, and her two children, Jacob, 10, and Cassandra, 15.
Morehart is Tammy Lovell's mother and her children's grandmother. Morehart, who listened to the proceedings Friday morning during a conference call, said Judge Janet Barton warned Miller that he was handing the prosecution the grounds for a potential murder conviction.
She said Miller responded that he knew what he was doing. Steven Duffy, Shane Duffy and Tammy Lovell all worked for Miller's restoration company.
Jerry Cobb, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, said Miller faces a 7- to 21-year sentence for arson and five months to 2 ½ years in prison for filing a fraudulent insurance claim.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...#ixzz1F04d9gtu
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