BROWNS MILLS NEW JERSEY MAN SENTENCED TO STATE PRISON FOR SETTING A FIRE THAT KILLED TWO
" After 16 Prior Felony Convictions Kurt Smith Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison For Setting A Fire That Claimed The Life Of His Mother & Her Friend."
February 12, 2022 2:44 A.M. ET By Art Fletcher Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,
MOUNT HOLLY, NJ.- After being Arrested 187 Times and racking up 16 prior Felony Convictions over the years, On Thursday, February 10, 2022 Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that a 63-Year-Old man who was Found Guilty of causing the Deaths of his Elderly Mother and her Companion in a 2018 Browns Mills House Fire was sentenced to Eleven Years in New Jersey State Prison.
The Honorable Christopher J. Garrenger, J.S.C., Handed Down the Sentence against Kurt Smith in Superior Court in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Mr. Smith must Serve Eighty-Five Percent of the Sentence before becoming Eligible for Parole, pursuant to The No Early Release Act.
Mr. Smith, who had lived at the residence in the 500 block of Willow Boulevard, in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township, New Jersey was Convicted in October 2021 on Two Counts of Second Degree Reckless Manslaughter. Judge Garrenger Sentenced Mr. Smith to Eleven Years on each count, to run concurrently.
After ten hours of deliberation over two days, The Jury returned the Verdict. The jury was unable to come to a Verdict on an Arson Charge against Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith had been accused of Igniting Flammable Material with a Cigarette Lighter in the garage of the residence on October 16, 2018, then unsuccessfully attempting to extinguish the blaze. The Fire claimed lives of Smith's mother, Lore Smith, and her companion, George Pikunis, both Ninety-Two Years of age.
Subsequent autopsies performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood concluded the Cause of Death in each instance was Smoke and Soot Inhalation, along with burns.
FILED UNDER FEBRUARY 12, 2022: LAW, BURLINGTON: