SAN DIEGO (AP) – A Southern California man whose two children died in a fire that investigators said likely erupted when he passed out drunk and dropped a cigarette was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that during the three-hour sentencing hearing Wednesday, 39-year-old defendant Henry Lopez called the prosecutor a liar and received a tongue-lashing from his ex-wife and even from a juror.
The defense argued that Lopez initially ran downstairs during the blaze but then ran back upstairs to try to rescue his children.
