COMING FORWARD
Third person admits to setting deadly fire
TROY >> The last of three people accused of setting fire to a Lansingburgh home in May 2015, killing an elderly resident, has admitted to his role in the crime.
David C. Stanley, 23, of East Greenbush, was scheduled to go on trial Oct. 3 in Rensselaer County Court for causing the death of Grace Halpin, 82, when he and two others set fire to her home at 520 2nd Ave., but instead pleaded guilty Monday morning to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree arson, according to the county District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his plea, Stanley is scheduled to be sentenced the day after his trial was to begin to 22 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Stanley, along with Tyler W. Smith, 25, of Castleton, and Abbey Slaga, 22, of East Greenbush, have now all pleaded guilty to starting the blaze on May 1, 2015, which left 13 residents homeless. Slaga pleaded guilty to a reckless endangerment charge in September 2015, saying she stayed in the car as Stanley – her boyfriend – and Smith started the fire as revenge against a second-floor tenant.
Smith, meanwhile, pleaded guilty July 26 to the same charges as Stanley, for which he is set to be sentenced Oct. 27 to 20 years in prison and five years of postrelease supervision. Both Smith and Slaga had agreed to testify against Stanley as part of their plea agreements.
“While nothing will bring Ms. Halpin back for her family, today’s plea ensures that all three defendants involved have been held responsible and will serve significant time in state prison,” District Attorney Joel Abelove, who prosecuted the case, said in a news release Monday.
“I commend … Troy police, Troy [firefighters] and state fire [investigators] for their tireless efforts to bring these defendants to justice.”
Police said the three used gasoline to torch the home, with the fire spreading to neighboring 518 2nd Ave., destroying that building, as well. Halpin suffered a heart attack during the fire, and while she was pulled from the building by firefighters, she died about a month later in a Massachusetts hospital.
A homeowner’s video showed three suspects fleeing the building, and Stanley, Smith and Slaga were arrested in June 2015. They were initially named in a 56-count grand jury indictment that included charges of firstand second-degree murder, arson, assault, criminal mischief, burglary and reckless endangerment.