Police: Pennsylvania Woman Hired Neighbor to Torch House

State police say a western Pennsylvania woman jailed on unrelated charges has confessed to hiring a neighbor to torch her house, though no money changed hands because she never collected on an insurance claim.

State police say 52-year-old Kitty Reno promised 45-year-old John Reno $10,000 from the expected insurance money to set the fire on March 26. Police say an informant identified Reno and explained how Reno tried to make the fire appear to be the result of a faulty electrical system.

Police charged Reno in November, but waited to announce the charges because Reno has been hospitalized and they wanted to wait to arrest him. Online court records don’t list attorneys for either defendant and police say Zona’s preliminary hearing on Wednesday was postponed after he again checked himself into a hospital.