Wis. Appeals Court Upholds Arsonist’s Convictions

A man sent to prison for igniting a string of garage fires that terrorized Wausau, Wis. nearly four years ago received a fair trial, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Police did not violate Kevin Zarm’s constitutional rights in seven different interviews with him conducted in 2003, the 3rd District Court of Appeals said in upholding a judge’s decision that prosecutors could use Zarm’s statements as evidence.

Zarm, 41, of Wausau was convicted of 26 charges, including six counts of arson, stemming from a series of more than 20 suspicious fires from May to September 2003. Judge Vincent Howard sentenced Zarm to 38 years in prison.

Prosecutors contended Zarm had an obsession with deer antlers and started the fires to cover up thefts from the garages.

In a separate prosecution, Zarm was sentenced earlier this month to life in prison with no chance for parole for murdering an 84-year-old woman who prosecutors said caught Zarm trying to burglarize her garage during the fire spree