DAYTON, Ohio -- A woman who set a fire that killed her young son and baby daughter was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison on Wednesday.
"I would take it back if I could," Heather Silverman said before she was sentenced. The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and three counts of aggravated arson last month.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Tucker imposed two 15-year-to-life-terms on Silverman for the murder counts and ordered her to serve them consecutively. The lesser arson counts will be served concurrently.
Four-month-old Keylee Silverman was killed in the July 2006 fire at the family's home in the Dayton suburb of West Carrollton. Her brother, 4-year-old Mikel Silverman, died later at a hospital.
The fire began two hours before a court hearing on whether the county's child welfare agency should be allowed to take temporary custody of the children.
Silverman's husband, Doron Silverman, was accused of molesting the boy. His conviction on gross sexual imposition was reversed on appeal.
According to court documents, Heather Silverman told investigators she disconnected both smoke detectors in the home, took more than the prescribed dosage of some medication and went into the bathroom with a can of gasoline and some oily and gasoline-soaked rags, which she laid around a candle on the floor.
She said she closed the bathroom door behind her and kicked the candle over to ignite the rags. She said the fire got out of control and she opened the bathroom door to the sound of her son yelling.
© 2008 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
