Man Sentenced In Fire That Destroyed Shakespeare Theater In Stratford

STRATFORD, CT — A Stratford man has been sentenced to five months in prison in connection with the fire that destroyed the American Shakespeare Theatre, and several other fires, in 2019, according to the Connecticut Post.

The Post reports the now 23-year-old Vincent Keller, who prosecutors described as the “wing man” in the fires, was also sentenced to five years of probation following the prison term.

Christopher Sakowicz, 21, was sentenced in 2021 to 10 years in prison for the fires. Sakowicz pleaded guilty to the Shakespeare Theatre fire and also accepted responsibility for fires in Milford, West Haven and Southbury, the Post previously reported.

Sakowicz, Vincent Keller and Logan Caraballo were each charged in connection with the January 2019 blaze that destroyed the Shakespeare Theatre. They were all under 18 at the time of the fire, but were charged as adults.

Stratford's iconic Shakespeare theater, which opened in 1955 and had been visited by famous actors and actresses including Katharine Hepburn, largely stopped showing plays in the 1980s. There has been talk for decades about how to revitalize the historic property.

After the fire at the theater, the trio admitted on Snapchat to starting the blaze in a video circulated at Bunnell High School, which Sakowicz and Keller attended at the time, the Post previously reported.

Caraballo’s case is still pending, according to the Post.

Read more Keller’s sentencing at the Connecticut Post here.