Video: District Attorney David Sullivan Addresses Ward 3 Neighborhood Association on Fires

Here is a YouTube video of District Attorney David Sullivan speaking with attendees of the 9/11/12 board meeting of the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association. Sullivan discusses the arson and murder case against Anthony Baye. The Gazette reports:

Sullivan said he believes that Baye is solely responsible for the string of fires that “paralyzed and terrorized” the Ward 3 neighborhood on Dec. 27, 2009, resulting in the deaths of Paul Yeskie Jr. and his father, Paul Yeskie Sr., who burned to death in their Fair Street home.

Baye was arrested in early January 2010 on charges related to the Dec. 27 fires, including two counts of murder related to the Yeskies’ deaths.

Part of Baye’s recorded interview with police was ruled inadmissible by the Supreme Judicial Court in July, prompting prosecutors to drop most of the original charges and re-submit the case to a grand jury. Eight days later, prosecutors re-indicted Baye on a total of 42 counts, including charges related to 11 other fires that took place in the same area, in 2007 and 2009.

This video is 53 minutes long and was recorded by Mike Kirby.

See also:

MassLive: “Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan tells Northampton neighborhood group his case against accused arsonist Anthony Baye is strong” (9/11/12)
Accompanying Sullivan were First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Thomas and Jana McClure, the office’s community liaison. Northampton police Lt. Jody D. Kasper also attended the meeting. Kasper told residents that police technology has improved considerably since the suspicious fires began. For example, her department now has an officer trained in video forensics, she said.

Kasper also answered questions about the homeless population in the ward. Many people have set up camps in and around the Meadows area of Ward 3. Kasper said the homeless population in the neighborhood has not grown in recent years, however.

“They’re more spread out,” she said. “We know where they are.”

WWLP: “D.A. assures Northampton residents arson case is ‘strong'” (9/12/12)
[Sullivan] also took the wraps off his “NoFires” program, an education and safety partnership dedicated to reducing youth-set fires in the home, school and community.

Sullivan acknowledged that the biggest problem in schools is bullying, and that his office has established the “Safe Schools Response Team” to ensure Northampton schools are healthy and safe.