A history of arson and unsolved fires in Jeannette over the last six years could be key in the defense of a man charged with setting a fatal row house blaze in 2018, resulting in the death of an 87-year-old woman.

Lawyers for Brian Rendon, 38, of Jeannette said statistical evidence compiled by the city’s fire department could be an essential component of their defense in the trial that is scheduled to start March 20.

Rendon is charged with homicide and arson.

Prosecutors contend Rendon used matches and a deodorant spray can to set the April 9 fire that destroyed a six-unit row house on South Seventh Street. Shirley Kocherans, 87, was killed and other tenants were injured and left homeless as a result of the fire, police said.

Rendon was charged with homicide, second-degree murder, third-degree murder, aggravated assault, arson and other related offenses in connection with the fatal blaze. He is also charged with torching his Jeannette home two days before the row house fire.

“We are saying he did not do this and that any behavior that is suspicious is due to his learning disability,” Assistant Public Defender David Mulock said.

Rendon has been in custody since his arrest several months after the fatal fire.

As part of the defense effort, Rendon’s lawyers subpoenaed city records to provide information on all arsons, suspicious and unsolved fires in Jeannette since 2017. The city and county prosecutors objected, saying the request was too broad and not relevant.

Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro estimated as many as 600 fires were investigated in Jeannette during that time period and that the city would be overly burdened to comply with the records request.

Defense attorneys argued the information could be used to show that someone was responsible for setting the fires during the last six years.

Assistant Public Defender Jennifer DeFlitch said two suspicious fires reported on the 400 block of South Fifth Street 10 days after the fatal row house fire are of specific interest to the defense. She also said police reports indicate another man, charged with an arson in Jeannette in 2000, could be responsible for the row house blaze.

“We want to show there is another suspect who had another arson on record and a stronger motive,” DeFlitch said.

Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said the defense can subpoena information about the two fires but rejected the defense request to secure the additional records.

Rendon’s case has been on hold for years, with delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic and legal issues that included concerns about his competence to stand trial.

In 2021, Rendon rejected a proposed deal from prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge of third-degree murder, an outcome that could have spared him from a potential life sentence that he faces for a conviction of second-degree murder.

Last year the judge barred from evidence two confessions Rendon gave to police during the investigation. Bilik-DeFazio ruled Rendon’s low intelligence prevented him from being capable of waiving his right to not speak with police.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)