Not guilty ruling in fatal Wrigleyville fire
A homeless woman charged with starting an arson fire that killed four people in a Wrigleyville apartment building last year was found not guilty Friday by reason of insanity.
Mary Smith, 51, had been accused of starting debris on fire to keep warm in a stairwell of a building at 3553 N. Fremont St. on March 10. After a three-day bench trial, Cook County Circuit Court Judge James Linn made the ruling and transferred her to a mental-health facility where she will be evaluated.
She had been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson.
Family members of the victims declined comment after the verdict was read.
Jacqueline Ross, Smith’s defense attorney, said of the verdict: “It doesn’t mean she didn’t do it, [but] she was unable to appreciate the criminality of what she was doing.”
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CTA ALERT
Weekend detours
The CTA’s Red Line will operate on the elevated Brown Line tracks in both directions between the Fullerton and Cermak/Chinatown stations this weekend for construction and maintenance work, CTA officials said Thursday.
