A man who admitted to setting a deadly fire at Everett Community College in 1987 has been charged with first-degree murder 34 years after firefighter Gary Parks was killed.
Elmer Nash Jr., 47, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Thursday (March 25). His sentencing is set for May 7. According to court documents, Nash was 12 years old when he and two friends broke into the Everett Community College library on Feb. 16, 1987.
The kids were looking for things to steal. At one point, the group piled books and papers on the floor and lit them on fire. The fire got out of control quickly, sending 40-foot flames into the air.
The kids were seen running about a mile away from the scene.
Firefighter Gary Parks, an 18-year veteran firefighter at the time, went into the building with five other firefighters. He got trapped by the flames and never made it out.