A federal jury has convicted an Adair County man of deliberately setting a blaze that led to the death of a firefighter.
Steve Allen “Boo” Pritchard, 44, was charged with torching his house in order to collect on a $50,000 renter’s insurance policy.
The jury in Bowling Green convicted him on a charge of arson that caused a death and mail fraud. The fire happened June 30, 2011, at the rented home in Columbia that Pritchard shared with his then-girlfriend, Brandi Waggener — later referred to as Brandi Pritchard in court documents — who was charged with him.
When Steve Pritchard learned Waggener had taken out renter’s insurance, he suggested they burn the house to collect, according to a court document.