Man Acquitted in Branford Arson That Left One Dead

The man accused of setting a fatal house fire in Branford was acquitted by a jury on Friday, according to multiple media reports. Steven Martone was charged with setting the fire that killed a woman in 2006.

The co-defendant in the case, Richard Vailette, was convicted by a federal jury in October and will be sentenced in December, the Hartford-Courant reports. The jurors were instructed to consider Vailette’s conviction as evidence of guilt and then decide whether Martone was guilty.

Authorities argued that Vailette set the fire because he feared Kathy Hardy, 39, was trying to implicate his uncle in the theft of $50,000 from an elderly woman. Defense Attorney Jeremiah Donovan reportedly argued that Hardy, who had a longtime drug problem, led a complicated life and was working as a police informant adding that there were other potential suspects for the defense to raise.

Read the full story at the Hartford Courant