Defense calls 2 witnesses to challenge experts in arson trial over firefighter deaths

July 20--Two fire investigators on Friday challenged expert testimony saying the blaze that killed two Kansas City firefighters in 2015 originated in the storeroom of a nail salon operator.

They were the only two witnesses the defense called after a week of testimony against Thu Hong Nguyen, who is charged with arson and murder for allegedly lighting the fire in a room with gallons of flammable liquids.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Joel P. Fahnestock heard closing arguments Friday and took the case under advisement.

A foundation of the state's case is that the fire quickly grew up and out, traveling laterally through a void above the ceiling, knocking out electricity to most of the three-story building before shutting off power to the salon.

"I don't see how," said electrical engineer Scott S. Cramer of the timing of events.

Kent Harris, a former fire marshal in Olathe and now CEO of his own risk mitigation firm, also tried to poke holes in the state's case.

He said an intense fire in the rear of the nail salon would have been visible from the front glass windows, but nobody reported seeing it.

The prosecution has said the fire was concealed by two sheet rock walls, each of which could withstand the fire for 15-20 minutes. Harris said the fire would not have stayed hidden that long.

"It (the sheet rock) would have failed fairly quickly with the amount of fire in there," he said.

Prosecutors presented witnesses from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which sent a national response team to Kansas City to investigate the fire that killed John Mesh and Larry Leggio.

Defense attorney Molly Hastings mocked the state's seeming belief that the ATF "is infallible."

"You have a highly motivated group of people who want her convicted," Hastings said in her closing. "You can feel it."

Hastings has portrayed her client as a naive but hard-working woman.

The state has painted a picture of Nguyen as a gamer of the system who has burned her businesses for insurance payouts.

"There is an association in her mind between fire and financial benefit," Assistant Prosecutor Dan Portnoy said in his closing.

The firefighters were killed Oct. 12, 2015, when a wall of bricks collapsed on them as they fought the fire from an alley. Firefighters Dan Werner and Chris Anderson were seriously injured.

The fast-moving fire also endangered the lives of people who lived in apartments in the top two floors of the building.

Nguyen allegedly lit the fire just before she locked up her nail shop for the night. She is also accused of doing the same thing in 2013 at a previous nail salon she operated in Lee's Summit.

"John Mesh and Larry Leggio didn't get to walk away," said Assistant Prosecutor Theresa Crayon. "So she does not get to walk away, ever again."

Related coverage from The Star:

Kansas City says goodbye to two fallen firefighters

A loud crack and an avalanche of bricks -- a KC firefighter recalls escaping death

New report cites missteps that led to deaths of two Kansas City firefighters

The Star's 'Fatal Echoes' series

When fire departments fail to learn from each other's mistakes, firefighters pay the price.

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