Baltimore officials gathered at the memorial site of a January 2022 fatal fire on Stricker Street in Southwest Baltimore and formally announced that James Barnett has been charged with three counts of second-degree depraved heart murder, three counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of second-degree arson. The 57-year-old is being held without bail.

Baltimore City Fire Lieutenants Kelsey Sadler and Paul Butrim, as well as Firefighter/EMT Kenny Lacayo, died after the 2nd and 3rd floors of a vacant house collapsed on them on Jan. 24th, 2022. Firefighter John McMaster was seriously injured.

City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said that investigators processed the scene for approximately eight days after the fire “using a myriad of investigative techniques including accelerant detectio

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