Youngblood trial to start Dec. 19
Will Rice College junior Alberto Youngblood is scheduled for trial Dec.19 in connection with the April 6 Student Center fire.
Youngblood was indicted Oct. 12 by a federal grand jury "for intentionally starting a fire at the entrance to Willy's Pub." That fire caused $2.9 million in damages, according to information released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas will prosecute Youngblood, who could receive up to a 20-year jail term and fines up to the monetary amount of damage to the Student Center.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bobb said that a suppression hearing was held on Sept. 30 to determine whether a statement which Youngblood signed before his Sept. 27 arrest could be used in the trial.
Youngblood petitioned the court to supress the statement after he decided to plead "not guilty" to the arson charge. The court ruled Monday that the statement would be admissable in the trial.
Bobb said the jury trial will last two to three days and that the case is straightforward.
"I think that the government has a strong case," he said.
If found guilty, Youngblood would likely not receive the maximum penalty for the crime.
Bobb said that under federal sentencing guidlines passsed by Congress, the penalty will be determined by a number of factors, including previous criminal history and the seriousness of the offense.
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