Boy, 12, Responsible in 8 Arson Deaths
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From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A state judge found a 12-year-old boy criminally responsible for setting an apartment-house fire that killed eight Mexican immigrants last year. Ray DeFord, who was initially considered a hero of the fire, was found criminally responsible for one count of arson and eight counts each of felony murder and criminally negligent homicide. Deford first said he discovered the fire when his pet rats began squealing, but he later became a suspect. He showed little reaction to the verdict.
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