WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A retrial has been scheduled for a suburban Chicago man who was convicted of arson and murder in his mother-in-law’s death in 1997.
The Daily Herald reports that 62-year-old William Amor’s retrial is expected to begin Wednesday. He’s accused of intentionally igniting the 1995 Naperville fire that killed Marianne Miceli.
A DuPage County judge vacated Amor’s conviction in April, ruling that advances in fire science prove the description Amor gave in his confession was impossible.
Amor confessed to police in 1995 that he started the fire by leaving a smoldering cigarette on a newspaper soaked in vodka. Three fire science experts testified in spring, saying lab-tested samples found no ignitable liquids at the scene.
Amor’s attorneys have argued that his confession was coerced.
Amor is currently free on $100,000 bail.
