Maspeth man indicted on upgraded charges of murder in the first degree for setting Flushing fire that killed four, including 3-year-old girl: DA - QNS

"Roman Amatitla, 38, of Calamus Avenue, was arraigned Tuesday on a 37-count indictment charging him with four counts of murder in the first degree, 12 counts of murder in the second degree, five counts of arson in the first degree and other related crimes. Amatitla was remanded into custody without bail and faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted."

"According to the charges and investigation, on Monday, March 16, at 11:43 a.m., Amatitla entered the ground floor of a three-story building at 132-05 Avery Ave. in Flushing and left the premises about a minute later. He remained in the vicinity of the property for another 15 minutes and then urinated in front of the building. Amatitla entered and exited the building two more times in the following seven minutes."

"He then crossed College Point Boulevard and went into a BP gas station, where he purchased a beer, stole another beer and asked the clerk for a lighter. When the worker informed Amatitla that lighters were not free, he settled for a book of matches. Amatitla then entered the Avery Avenue building for a fourth time, lit a piece of paper on fire and placed the flaming paper on top of a pile of garbage located near the stairwell exit from the upper floors."

"Shortly afterward, smoke began to fill the street. Amatitla allegedly stayed in the immediate area and watched as fire consumed the building. Responding firefighters discovered 3-year-old Sihan Yang in a third-floor bed and she was pronounced dead at the scene. A 49-year-old man, Chengri Cui, and a 61-year-old woman, Shin Chie Ming, were also both discovered in the building and pronounced dead at the scene. All three succumbed to smoke inhalation."

A Queens grand jury indicted Roman Amatitla, 38, of Maspeth, on upgraded charges for a Flushing residential building fire that killed four people and injured seven others. The indictment includes counts of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and first-degree arson, along with related crimes. Amatitla was arraigned on a 37-count indictment, remanded without bail, and faces life in prison without parole if convicted. Prosecutors allege he entered the building multiple times, urinated outside, bought beer and matches, then lit paper and placed it on garbage near a stairwell exit. Smoke spread quickly, firefighters found three victims and a 3-year-old girl who died at the scene, and all four deaths were attributed to smoke inhalation.

Read at QNS