why did john leonard orr start fires

"Anger is associated with any form of destructive arson." Albert Breer. When they return to watch firemen fight the blaze, an arsonist may be thinking, "I created this scene, I'm actually controlling what they're doing because I started the fire," Garrett said. These devices were usually deposited in densely populated linen stores and left to slowly burn. On several occasions, film and television have also presented the story of Orr's arson activities and eventual arrest and criminal conviction. [6] This, sadly, does not mean that the deaths of his 4 victims were rapid. Matthew immediately spotted the neighboring Baskin-Robbins and wanted ice cream. Then he noticed the north fire door had closed. He would now be the focus of an intense investigation. You just drive around the park, he said, rolling to a stop as he peered out an open window, and listen,' as observed by a journalist from the Los Angeles Times. This gripping account guides readers through the arsonists life and crimes, detailing the millions of dollars in damage and tragic deaths caused by his attacks, and revealing the major mistake that led to his downfall. In Points of Origin, the protagonist set a Pasadena hardware store ablaze. On June 26, 1998, a jury in a California state court convicted Orr of four counts of first-degree murder, in relation to the 1984 hardware store fire, with special circumstances in a 25 count indictment, deadlocking on only one of the 25 counts, which was subsequently dismissed at the request of the prosecution. Fingerprints recovered from one of the crime scenes was compared to several arson investigators in 1989, without success. Colleagues thought he might have a sixth sense. July 30, 2018. Orr was a respectable fire captain with a stellar reputation, and thats what hindered fire investigators from questioning him about what he was doing there. He knew there were steps to an emergency exit in the back stockroom. "Frank Girardot uncovers another side to serial arsonist John Orr in 'Burned: Pyromania, Murder, And A Daughter's Nightmare', "Local Reporter's Book Tells a Fiery Tale Pasadena Now", "True-Crime Book Chronicles South Pasadena Arson at Ole's Hardware | South Pasadena Review", "Burned: Pyromania, Murder, and a Daughter's Nightmare", Hunt for the Serial Arsonist: Program Overview, Diary of a Serial Arsonist/Lost Clue episode preview. "I feel very good that we've got the right guy. He would then be part of the firefighting crew that investigated the fires. The district court found the manuscript was prejudicial because "the points of origin and methods of starting the arson fires described in the manuscript do not appear to the Court to be so unique as to justify the conclusion that defendant must have had first-hand knowledge of the facts . He was convicted of serial arson and four counts of murder. The book chronicles acts of arson and bears several striking similarities with the real-life 1984 fire. why did john leonard orr start fires. John Orr told McClure that in his opinion, the Albertsons fire was deliberately set, as is usually the case with fires in retail stores during business hours when customers are present. These fires destroyed numerous properties and resulted in the deaths of four individuals. In an article in the local paper dated 5 July 1990, he told how he had sacrificed his Independence Day holiday for the 11th year in row, so he could patrol the streets, looking for what he described as firecracker scofflaws, who flouted the law. He couldnt go any farther. By contrast, it appears to create little risk of unfair prejudice. John earned a carry permit, applying and becoming an arson investigator, eventually attaining the rank of captain. The detectives work led back to a witness who recalled seeing Orr at the store taking photos of the scene. He made an off-the-record offer to Orr: if Orr accepted a sentence of life without parole and confessed all of his acts of arson in open court dating to his youth, Cabral would take the death penalty off the table. He was a. 92-50235 in the Court of Appeals for . He also maintains his innocence and continues efforts to appeal his case. December 4, 1991. Following high school, Orr joined the US Air Force; in 1967, he shipped out for basic training, later transferring to Air Force firefighting school. [29] Orr began his state sentence upon his release from federal custody in 2002. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force in April 1971. In the excerpt below, Wambaugh recounts the tragic 1984 fire at Oles Home Center. With the Points of Origin evidence, however circumstantial, investigators had reason to suspect that Orr was responsible. Still, nobody was alarmed. ", Among those who covered the trial was award-winning journalist Frank Girardot, who would later collaborate with Orr's daughter Lori on a book about the case. John Leonard Orr (born April 26, 1949) is an American former firefighter, novelist, and convicted arsonist and mass murderer. [6] When asked to sentence Orr to the death penalty, the same jury split eight to four in favor. Orr, a former fire captain is believed to be responsible for nearly 2,000 fires in the Los Angeles area between 1984 and 1991. But without further evidence Casey could not prove his theory. In late 1990 and early 1991, another series of arson fires broke out in southern California, this time in and around the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In the 1984 Pasadena fire, in which four lives were lost, two of them eerily matched the victims in Orrs book: Ada Deal, 52, and her grandson, Matthew Troidl, almost 3. Growing up, he always wanted to join the police department, but failed the entrance exam and instead became a career fire officer and arson investigator. The subsequent fire would spread quickly through the linen pillowcases resulting in uncontrollable fires which caused devastation. Yet when he applied to the Los Angeles Police Department, he was passed over for the position. His modus operandi was to set fires using an incendiary timing device, usually comprising a lit cigarette with three matches wrapped in ruled yellow writing paper and secured by a rubber band, in stores while they were open and populated. However, police had enough circumstantial evidence to prove his involvement in the fires. Passing by, John Orr said. Orr was a fire captain and arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California. Giannini presented evidence from a UCLA forensic psychiatrist who said Orr was driven to torch buildings by a compulsion that he was powerless to control. Of great interest to the prosecution was the authors inclusion of a fire started in a department store called Cals, in which four people, including a grandmother and her 2-year-old grandson perished. why did john leonard orr start firesfitz henry lane house 6 3, 2022 Posted in 2 bedroom house for rent in new brunswick, nj Fire Captain William Eisele was was in charge of the response to the Oles Home Center fire. The unsold novel is titled ``Points of Origin.'' On Friday, its 49-year-old author, John Leonard Orr, a once-respected . Glendale Fire Chief Johan Leonard Orr. She may have heard Matthew asking when he was going to get his ice cream. Orr was arrested and convicted for a series of arson fires set throughout California between 1984 and 1991. And he was out. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. Cabral said, the lesson that this case teaches us is that no one should be above suspicion when it comes to criminal activity. Jurors were later deadlocked 8-4 in favour of the death penalty, and State law requires a death penalty recommendation to be unanimous. In the 1980s and 1990s, Los Angeles was plagued by a series of fires that cost millions of dollars in damages and claimed four lives. This sentence was to begin upon his release from Federal custody. The burning was started with malice, that is, with the specific intent of destroying property. In March 1989, another meeting of arson experts in Pacific Grove, California, coincided with an outbreak of fires in the towns between the site of the conference and Glendale. After hed ordered his firefighters off the roof of the hardware store, and after the interior attack was aborted, Captain Eisele found John Orr standing at the rear of his engine carrying a thirty-five-millimeter camera. It had been a long shift for Jim Obdam. From there, Rich went on to be one of the founding members of Lonestar. When Orr was serving at Glendale station, "he developed a penchant for teaching arson investigation tactics and skills to his fellow arson investigators around the state," explains Kary Antholis, who hosts the "Firebug" podcast that centers on the arsonist and arson investigator. At 7:45 P.M. McClure called dispatch and requested that they send arson investigator John Orr from nearby Glendale Fire Department, probably the most accomplished arson sleuth within the several fire departments that rendered mutual aid in the area. A Lie To Die For Sneak: Retired Fire Investigator Says He Thought Serial Arsonist Might Be A 'Wannabe' Investigator. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. A lot of true crime and music but I throw in life stuff too for the times I need a greater understanding of why Im like this. On October 10, 1984, a terrible tragedy struck South Pasadena, California. But it was no longer a cloud. Pyromania About John Orr Childhood A disorder in which one sets fire to an object on more than one occasion Done purposely or deliberately One is has a interest in, attraction to, or curiosity in fire and how it works One gains pleasure, gratification, or relief when sets fire Born April 29, 1949 Previously a fire captain and arson investigator During the mid-1980s, a series of fires began to plague Los Angeles in Southern California, which caused millions of dollars worth of damage. No products in the cart. One of fires in Orrs book had taken place at a K-Mart shopping centre, the same place where the Pillow Pyro had burnt down. Take the child and lets go!. Point of Origin: With Peter Thomas, Jim Obdam, Joseph Wambaugh, Ada Deal. noble soccer tournament 2021 how to get gems in phase 10: world tour army covid pt test policy why did john leonard orr start fires. And someone else who was in that store may have heard him too. By December, investigators had accumulated enough evidence to warrant and arrest, when Orr was present at a suspicious fire. Orr was arrested in December 1991 after federal investigators, suspecting his link to fires, began to track his movements. The details were similar to the Oles Home Center hardware store fire, and police considered the 350-page manuscript a confession. [] Why? Orr was the fire captain and arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California. He was able to conclude how each one had been started, and where, and was always on hand to talk to reporters after a fire broke out, or reassure the public that his investigation was doing everything to catch the culprit. He thought that the store was closing so he looked at his watch. ", "They feel outside of the world, they're angry at the world. A 2021 episode of HLNs Very Scary People featured him, titled "Firestarter: A Wall of Flames". Orr is currently serving a life sentence in connection with the fires. ", However, in this case, that may not be the motivation, according to Robert Rowe the CEO of Pyrocop, Inc. "I don't believe that this particular individual is sticking around to watch his work," he said, adding that he thinks the culprit's aim is most likely to "create as much damage and wreak as much havoc as possible.". Want more true crime? He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and three counts of arson, though Orr maintained his innocence. But this arsonist was methodical in his crime spreehe used makeshift incendiary timing-devices to ignite blazes in open and populated stores, while also setting off smaller fires on grassy hillsides to draw the attention of fire departments away from his true target. "That's a very powerful statement." Orr wrote in his manuscript that the ficitional grandmother was going to take her toddler grandson out for mint chocolate chip ice cream after their trip to the hardware store. gary muehlberger cause of fire; swindon weather tomorrow. Frank C . Orr insisted that the manuscript was fiction, and in 1991, he wrote a letter to a literary agency described it as a fact-based work that follows the pattern of an actual arsonist that has been setting serial fires in California over the past eight years, according to AP News. Orr and his first wife divorced not long after. [31] Federal ATF agent Mike Matassa believes that Orr set nearly 2,000 fires between 1984 and 1991. Even at trial, Orr showed no remorse and an utter disregard for not only the lives he took, but the families he destroyed as well. But the intensity and movement of a wildfire ultimately depends on three factors: fuel, weather and topography. He was facing the death penalty, however his daughter Lori had testified on behalf of the defence, and it was her testimony that prevented him from being sent to death row. Orr was the fire captain and arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California. The True Crime Database is an ongoing project, with thousands of hours of research already invested. Some research. His 240-page paperback book Points of Origin: Playing with Fire was published on August 1, 2002, whilst Orr was behind bars, and has afforded detectives a rare insight into the possible motive behind the crimes, that being the sexual thrill of watching things burn. That arson count, for setting a fire in the Warner Bros. backlot, was subsequently dismissed at the request of the prosecution. John Leonard ORR, Defendant-Appellee. It left the remainder of the sentence untouched, all but assuring that Orr will die in prison. in fact Joseph Wambaugh wrote a book called "Fire Lover," is about Captain John Orr. In an interview, Orr defended his manuscript, and expressly stated; The character of Aaron Stiles was a composite of arsonists I arrested.. The hunt for an arsonist is a personal mission for Godfrey, who worked in California when a fellow firefighter was convicted of setting about 2,000 fires in the Los Angeles area in the 1980s and 1990s. A fire in a Pasadena, California, hardware store killed four people, including a 2-year-old child. [8], Orr's daughter Lori, who later became a motivational speaker, testified on behalf of the defense at the trial and her testimony prevented him from receiving the death penalty. [The suspect] had the right stuff in his van, and we are very confident we found our man," Beck said. Five people die, two of which were a woman and her toddler grandson. This issue would be later debated in courts of law. Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 08:00, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Books of the Times; A Firefighter Unable to Resist the Flame", "Case 98: The Pillow Pyro - Casefile: True Crime Podcast", "Firehouse Magazine Archives September 1998", "Additional material for Court TV's documentary, "The Firestarter - John Orr", "TR-141 Special Report: Firefighter Arson", "Arson Investigator-Novelist Is Charged With Setting Fires". He was all alone in the smoke and heat. Albeit anonymously. Now, why it started or how it started is something - is a different color. In July 2021, truth.media released the true crime podcast Firebug, hosted by filmmaker Kary Antholis and chronicling the investigation into the fires through interviews and excerpts from Orr's manuscript.[36]. They're just angry in general and so they take off and light fires.". California is no stranger to fires, but a string of blazes set in the 1980s and early-90s left authorities searching for a skilled arsonist who was right under their noses. John Orr, an arson investigator and fire captain in Southern California, was convicted of setting three fires on his way home from a convention of his colleagues in 1987. why did john leonard orr start fires. He continued to protest his innocence, despite his guilty plea on March 24, 1993, to three more counts of arson, including a 1990 fire at a Builders Emporium in North Hollywood, and two others near Atescadero in 1989. He would often arrive at the scene of a fire, stroke his moustache whilst looking up at the sky and then point to an area, declaring it to be the point of origin. This book is written with lots of detail and lots of characters so you have to pay attention. His story was recounted in 2019 on Investigation Discovery's Deadly Secrets in the episode "The Fire Inside", and Oxygen's A Lie To Die For in the episode "The Heat Of Deceit." This item: Points of Origin: Playing With Fire. In the 1980s and 1990s, Los Angeles was plagued by a series of fires that cost millions of dollars in damages and claimed four lives. By - June 6, 2022. Investigators agreed the hardware store fire was an accident, but it was Orr who insisted there was an arsonist afoot. Carolyn Krause was working in the paint department that evening, so she may well have seen the fifty-year-old grandmother pushing her grandson Matthew William in a shopping cart. No products in the cart. The first such incident was started in a Fresno drugstore, when a sleeping bag display was set alight, whilst across the street another fire engulfed a fabric shop. [30] His name does not appear in the California Department of Corrections inmate database, suggesting that he is being held under an alias. [26], A jury in a California state court convicted Orr on all four murder charges and all but one of the arson counts on June 25, 1998. and gorgeous blooms of fire. As an adult, he joined the Air Force and their fire-fighter school. Watching the raging fire gave the young boy a rush of excitement he hadnt felt before. what day does pilot flying j pay; western power distribution. He was profiled in the 2004 Forensic Files episode "Point of Origin", the same title used in the HBO film. During a search of his home investigators found a 350-page manuscript for a novel Orr had written, which read almost like a confession. Fire Captain Orr was active with the first investigation team and attended the majority of these arson investigations. He was convicted of serial arson and four counts of murder. But suddenly some people ran through the fire door and yelled, Get outta here! However, Orr, as an arson investigator, insisted that the cause was arson. Juni 2022. ", Garrett speculated that this may be a contributing factor to the most recent string of arsons: "It would appear that primary motive may not be killing people, the primary motive may be attention because he is setting fires to vehicles that are not apparently occupied. With reporting by ABC News' Richard Esposito, 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. This scintillating story was confiscated from the author s home at the time of his arrest. John Orr told McClure that in his opinion, the Albertson's fire was deliberately set, as is usually the case with fires in retail stores during business hours when customers are present. Deadly Secrets A Fire Inside, airs at 9:00 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. Everyone was able to make an escape, except for four people: 2-year-old Matthew Troidl and his grandmother, Ada Deal, 50, and two employees: Carolyn Kraus, 26, and 17-year-old Jimmy Cetina. by John L. Orr Paperback. Billy peered through that door, that fireproof barricade, toward the west side of the store, and he saw a big cloud of smoke in the center of the space. John Leonard Orr's unpublished book, "Points of Origin," detailed an arson spree that eerily mirrored his own and helped authorities close the net on him. He was a man who understood how fires spread and how firefighters responded to and fought blazes. A bell chimed in the lumber area: Ting ting ting. Thats how Billy Deal described it. Another motive can be a desire for attention, Garrett said. He told them to leave the store at once. His parents divorced when he was young. His ego knew no bounds. why did john leonard orr start firesjack paar cause of death. This turned out to be true in real life, and the only person who knew this information was the childs grandfather, who was at the store at the time and narrowly escaped, Assistant District Attorney Michael Cabral told producers of A Lie To Die For. Cabral said they concluded that Orr must have near the fire in order to know such specific information. Is anyone feeling that the mom has strong narcissistic vibes, I worked on both cases. Orrs defence attorneys decried the notion of using a work of fiction for evidence as ludicrous, however, sections of the book were used during his 1992 trial. [4] The store was completely destroyed by the fire, and four people were killed: a two-year-old child, the child's 50-year-old grandmother, a 26-year-old mother of two, and a 17-year-old employee. Joseph Wambaugh wrote a book on the case, Fire Lover, and quipped that after reading Orrs novel, the investigators of the Pillow Pyro Task Force concluded that you couldnt find that many erections at the Playboy mansion on New Years Eve. That steel door had dropped down. His actions continued to be watched. Carolyn Krause was married to an LAPD lieutenant and had two young children of her own. The latest episode of Deadly Secrets on Investigation Discovery explores this distressing case. Billy wanted to buy some cheap two-by-fours, so he headed for the lumber display, which was between the north and south fire doors. Related: The Best True Crime Documentaries on Netflix You Can Stream This April. They want to take revenge sometimes and that is one of the motives of arsonists is revenge. It was indeed a bizarre evening for firefighters in that part of the San Gabriel Valley. All Rights Reserved. John Leonard Orr (born April 26, 1949) is an American former firefighter, novelist, and convicted arsonist and mass murderer. He was holding his breath, low to the floor, and he dropped even lower, desperate for the same oxygen that the fire craved. Jan. 2, 2012— -- Authorities in Los Angeles are reporting they have a suspect in connection with the 55 fires that have been set in the city over the last four days. Firefighter and arson investigator John Orr of California's Glendale Fire Department had a way of showing up very quickly at the site of a fire and going right to the point of origin. In the nearby town of Tulare, another drugstore and fabric shop went up in flames, followed by a fire which broke out in a display of dried flowers in a Bakersfield crafts shop.