Harry Burkhart found guilty on all 49 counts in 2011 LA arson spree

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Friday, September 2, 2016
Harry Burkhart found guilty on all 49 counts in 2011 LA arson spree
Harry Burkhart was found guilty on all 49 counts he was charged with after authorities said he went on a four-day arson spree in Los Angeles back in 2011.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Harry Burkhart, who officials said set more than 47 fires during a four-day arson spree throughout Los Angeles, was found guilty on all 49 counts he faced.

Officials said Burkhart, a 29-year-old undocumented German immigrant, will face a second trial to determine if he was sane during the crimes.

Burkhart set dozens of fires throughout Hollywood, West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley areas in December of 2011, according to authorities.

MORE: Evidence proves Harry Burkhart was behind 40+ SoCal fires, prosecutor says

Prosecutors alleged the arson spree began when his mother, Dorothee Burkhart, a fugitive from Germany, was arrested in Hollywood and set for deportation.

The ignition source of the fires were products used for starting fires in a fireplace, according to prosecutors.

Investigators said they had never seen the items used for arson in the U.S., but learned it was more common in Europe, where Burkhart had lived.

The defense argued that while there was DNA evidence or surveillance video in six of the fires, there was no physical evidence to link Burkhart to 40 of the other incidents.

The defense also said Burkhart suffered from multiple mental disorders including schizophrenia and was also being treated for a cancerous mass in his chest.

DEVELOPING: We will add more details to this report as they become available.

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