StarBulletin.com

Man who burned woman faces 20 years


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POSTED: Friday, November 06, 2009

A man convicted of pouring gasoline on his girlfriend and setting her on fire faces a mandatory 20-year prison term when he is sentenced in January.

A state jury found Kim Massey, 52, guilty of first-degree assault and first-degree arson. The jury also found Massey committed both crimes with a single act. So he will be sentenced for only the more serious crime, first-degree arson, which is a class A felony.

His victim, Marie Siarot, suffered permanent disfigurement from burns on her face, arms and back in the Oct. 5, 2006, fire that also damaged Massey's Honokai Hale home. Siarot testified she saw her skin roll off her arms.

This was the third trial for Massey.

The first one ended in mistrial after the jurors deadlocked. The jurors in the second trial acquitted him of attempted second- degree murder but deadlocked on the lesser included first-degree assault and the arson.

This latest jury returned its verdicts Wednesday but went home without revealing them because Massey's lawyer could not locate him.

Massey showed up at court a half-hour after Circuit Judge Steven Alm revoked his bail and issued a warrant for his arrest. He spent the night in custody and heard the verdicts yesterday.