Expert reiterates opinion at murder trial that fatal Naperville fire was accidental

Jan. 30--A fire science expert Tuesday reiterated his opinion that the 1995 fire that killed a Naperville woman was accidental, setting the stage for two additional experts expected to testify this week in the murder trial of the woman's former son-in-law, William Amor.

Douglas Carpenter, an engineer and combustion science specialist, concluded his second day of testimony as a witness for the defense in the DuPage County trial of Amor, 62, who is accused of the arson killing of Marianne Miceli.

Amor was found guilty of the crime in 1997, but his conviction was vacated last year, in part due to Carpenter's testimony at hearing in 2016 that the fatal fire that killed Miceli was accidental and likely caused by a cigarette left in a living room reclining chair.

Carpenter testified Monday and gave the same conclusion -- that the fire was accidental. He said that was the most scientifically reliable explanation for the Sept. 10, 1995, blaze at the Bailey Road condo where Miceli, 40, lived with her daughter, Tina, and Amor, who had married Tina earlier in 1995.

According to previous testimony Tina and Amor had left the condo to go to a movie. About 20 minutes later, Marianne called 911 to report the fire and was overcome by smoke as she spoke to the operator. During his testimony Monday and Tuesday, Carpenter said that had the fire been set with an open flame, it would have taken about two minutes to create the smoke and fire conditions Miceli reported on her 911 call.

Details of the Miceli fire indicate it was started by a cigarette smoldering in a recliner that eventually burst into flames and trapped Miceli, Carpenter testified. All three residents were smokers, according to testimony.

About three weeks after the fire, Amor confessed to setting it with a lit cigarette and vodka-soaked newspaper, which has since been acknowledged as an impossible method for starting a fire. His defense team from the Illinois Innocence Project says Amor was coerced into confessing during an interrogation session where police served Amor with divorce papers filed by his wife.

Prosecutors say Amor's confession was made willingly, and he hoped to collect insurance money from the fire.

The trial will continue Wednesday with another defense fire expert slated to testify. The trial, a bench proceeding before Judge Liam Brennan, is expected to conclude Friday.

Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.

___

(c)2018 the Chicago Tribune

Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.