Witnesses called to the stand on day three of Aissa arson trial
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Testimony continued today in the trial of the Pennsylvania man accused of starting the fire that killed 17-year-old Jeffrey Aissa of Binghamton back in 2011.
39-year-old Jeremiah Raub is charged with felony murder and arson for allegedly lighting a recycling bin on fire on the front porch of 20 Milford Street at around 3:30 a.m. on March 17, 2011.
Aissa was one of seven people inside the two-family home and the only one not to make it out alive.
Prosecutors say the break in the case came after a former girlfriend of Raub came forward to say he admitted to her his involvement.
Deputy District Attorney Lucas Finley says Raub later gave a long and detailed confession to police. Wednesday morning, Finley called electrician Michael Wade, Senior to the stand to counter any suggestions that the cause of the fire was electrical.
Wade testified that he was running wires for new electrical wires on the inside of the wall where prosecutors say the fire began, but Wade said they were not connected to power at the time of the fire.
Later, Finley called former Binghamton Fire Chief Dan Eggleston, who at the time was Fire Marshal and headed up the investigation into the cause of the fire.
Eggleston says his team's investigation determined that the fire began on the porch in the vicinity of the recycle bin and that the cause was incendiary, which means it was intentionally set by someone.
Raub's attorney Kurt Schrader pressed Eggleston on why another fire in a recycling bin at another house in the neighborhood that night was ruled as cause undetermined, while the fire on Milford Street was ruled incendiary.
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