Accused in fatal fire
She allegedly set house on fire that killed 1, injured 4
Woman arraigned on murder count for allegedly setting blaze that killed one./
A 35-year-old city woman was arraigned on a murder charge Wednesday for allegedly setting a house fire in July that killed a city man and injured four others, prosecutors said.
Vera Crumble was arraigned after a sealed indictment accusing her of seconddegree murder and second-degree arson was opened in Rensselaer County Court by Judge Debra Young.
Crumble allegedly started the blaze on July 17 by lighting debris in the southern vestibule of 177 Third St., that left Thomas Bessette, 64, with mortal wounds from smoke inhalation, according to the district attorney ’s office. Crumble is the sister of a homicide victim who was a star football player at Troy High School.
“Bessette suffered injuries from the fire set by Crumble, received treatment and succumbed to his injuries seven days later,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hauf said in a prepared statement announcing Crumble’s indictment.
Bessette and Crumble did not know each other, according to authorities. The motive for setting the fire has not been disclosed at this point in the investigation.
As for the other victims who survived, one man jumped from a second-story window to escape the flames that consumed the building. Firefighters rescued two men and a woman who were trapped inside the burning building by flames and smoke. Two of the men injured in the fire
were taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital for treatment.
Fire Chief Eric Mcmahon said Bessette was pulled from an apartment in the first floor of the burning building. Bessette was treated at the scene then rushed to the hospital. Bessette was transferred to the SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital in Syracuse. He died a week later from his injuries.
“It was not a good outcome for Mr. Bessette. We gave Mr. Bessette the best care at the fire scene,” Mcmahon said.
The flames were so intense that a second alarm was sounded to bring additional Troy fire companies to the corner of Liberty and Third streets to fight the fire, Mcmahon said. Also answering the secondalarm were the Watervliet city and Watervliet Arsenal fire departments.
The state Office of Fire Prevention and Control’s investigation determined that the fire resulted from an “open source flame” such as a lighter.
Crumble’s brother Jahod “Cookie” Crumble, 17, was fatally stabbed on May 11, 2007, during a fight at the Martin Luther King Apartments. that resulted in a manslaughter conviction for another Troy man. Crumble was an important member of Troy High School’s football team and once scored four touchdowns in a game.