Crime To Burn

Episode 103

Across Massachusetts, a series of fires began targeting places tied to faith and patriotism — Protestant churches, American Legion halls, and other community institutions closely associated with “God and country.”

From the beginning, investigators knew they were dealing with arson.

At scene after scene, the same method appeared: windows smashed to gain entry, gasoline used as an accelerant, and fires intentionally set inside the buildings. The pattern was obvious, but proving the same person was responsible for all of them was another matter entirely.

For a long time, investigators had little more than the method of operation linking the fires together.

Then the suspect made a mistake.

At one scene, a hammer was left behind — a small piece of evidence that investigators were able to connect to another fire through forensic analysis. It was the first physical link tying two of the crimes together.

But even then, most of the fires remained connected only by pattern, timing, and method.

The investigation would continue until the suspect was finally caught in the act, bringing an end to a string of arsons that had targeted both houses of worship and patriotic institutions across the state.

In this episode of Crime to Burn, we break down the investigation, the forensic evidence, and how investigators ultimately stopped a serial firestarter.

Buy Burn Boston Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/ipCuGL2

Buy Bang Boom Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/a2EACYf

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

SOURCES:

Episode 102

In the conclusion of our coverage of the Seton Hall University dorm fire, we return to January of 2000, when flames broke out inside Boland Hall, trapping students behind smoke-filled corridors and turning a college residence hall into the scene of one of the most devastating campus fires in recent memory.

In this episode, we walk through the fire investigation itself—how investigators began piecing together what happened that night and why, despite the lack of clear physical evidence, they quickly suspected the fire had been intentionally set.

We examine the subtle clues that pointed investigators toward arson, from burn patterns and witness accounts to inconsistencies in the early explanations coming from students who had been in the building that night.

But the investigation quickly ran into a wall. Witnesses began clamming up, stories changed, and the tight-knit social circles inside the dorm made it difficult for investigators to get reliable information about what had really happened in the lounge where the fire began.

As the case stalled, law enforcement took increasingly aggressive steps to move the investigation forward, including compelling testimony through a grand jury in an effort to break through the silence.

Eventually, an unexpected development helped investigators finally connect the dots: the involvement of a notorious mafia hitman who had information that helped push the investigation toward indictments.

Those indictments would ultimately reach beyond the two students accused of setting the fire. Prosecutors also charged members of one suspect’s family with witness tampering, alleging attempts to interfere with the investigation as authorities worked to determine who was responsible for the fire that night.

In the final chapter of this story, we examine how the investigation unfolded, how the case was built despite limited physical evidence, and how the legal consequences spread far beyond the two young men accused of starting the fire.

Purchase the book After The Fire that we sourced for this episode here: https://a.co/d/08OUjIBm or watch the documentary on Tubi.

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

SOURCES:

“Suits filed in Seton Hall dorm fire” • Arizona Daily Sun • Jan 19, 2002

“Experts for defense fault Seton Hall in fatal dorm fire” • Chicago Tribune • Aug 18, 2006 (updated Aug 21, 2021)

“University community reflects 25 years after the Boland Hall fire” (Thomas Canela) • The Setonian • Feb 27, 2025

“Parole denied for 2 who set Seton Hall dorm fire that killed 3 students in 2000” (David Porter, AP) • tucson.com • Apr 1, 2008

“After the fire: Seton Hall students tell story” (Greg Watry) • New Jersey Herald • Apr 22, 2015 (updated Apr 25, 2015)

“Seton Hall Arsonists Get 5 Years” • CBS News • Jan 26, 2007

“Three Die in Dormitory Fire at Seton Hall University” (John J. Goldman) • Los Angeles Times • Jan 20, 2000

“Seton Hall Dorm Arsonist Out on Parole” (Tamara Vostok) • NBC Philadelphia • May 6, 2009

“2 Students Charged with Setting Fatal Dorm Fire 3 Years Ago at Seton Hall U.” (Jeffrey R. Young) • The Chronicle of Higher Education • Jun 13, 2003

“Police stage alcohol raid in dorm-fire investigation” • Orlando Sentinel • Feb 21, 2000 (updated Oct 27, 2018)

“Seton Hall dorm arsonist gets parole” (Bryan T. Murray / The Star-Ledger) • nj.com • Mar 25, 2009

“Students charged years after dorm fire” • Tampa Bay Times • Jun 13, 2003 (updated Sept 1, 2005)

“Murder Charges In Deadly Dorm Fire” (Dan Collins) • CBS News • Jun 13, 2003

“Students go on trial for killer dorm fire” (Emanuella Grinberg / Court TV) • CNN • Nov 14, 2006

“Grand Jury Misconduct Alleged in Seton Hall Dorm Fire Prosecution” • law.com • May 23, 2005

“3 Seton Hall Funerals Held” • CBS News • Jan 19, 2000

Episode 101

On January 19, 2000, a fire broke out in a third-floor lounge inside Boland Hall at Seton Hall University.

Within minutes, thick smoke filled the hallway. Students pounded on doors. Some thought it was a false alarm. Others ran.

Three students would not survive.

In Part 1, we focus on the night of the fire — what happened, how it unfolded, and why conditions became so deadly so quickly.

We discuss:

The timeline of events as students began to realize something was wrong

The rapid buildup of smoke on the third floor

The confusion and delays during evacuation

And how the building’s concrete construction trapped heat and intensified conditions inside

Three young lives were lost in a matter of minutes.

Part 1 centers on the human experience — the chaos, the survival decisions, and the early rumors that began circulating almost immediately.

In Part 2, we’ll examine the investigation, the forensic findings, and the legal aftermath that would divide a campus and raise lasting questions about accountability.

Because sometimes the story of a fire isn’t just about ignition.

It's about what happens after the flames are out. 

Purchase the book After The Fire that we sourced for this episode here: https://a.co/d/08OUjIBm or watch the documentary on Tubi.

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

SOURCES:

“Suits filed in Seton Hall dorm fire” • Arizona Daily Sun • Jan 19, 2002

“Experts for defense fault Seton Hall in fatal dorm fire” • Chicago Tribune • Aug 18, 2006 (updated Aug 21, 2021)

“University community reflects 25 years after the Boland Hall fire” (Thomas Canela) • The Setonian • Feb 27, 2025

“Parole denied for 2 who set Seton Hall dorm fire that killed 3 students in 2000” (David Porter, AP) • tucson.com • Apr 1, 2008

“After the fire: Seton Hall students tell story” (Greg Watry) • New Jersey Herald • Apr 22, 2015 (updated Apr 25, 2015)

“Seton Hall Arsonists Get 5 Years” • CBS News • Jan 26, 2007

“Three Die in Dormitory Fire at Seton Hall University” (John J. Goldman) • Los Angeles Times • Jan 20, 2000

“Seton Hall Dorm Arsonist Out on Parole” (Tamara Vostok) • NBC Philadelphia • May 6, 2009

“2 Students Charged with Setting Fatal Dorm Fire 3 Years Ago at Seton Hall U.” (Jeffrey R. Young) • The Chronicle of Higher Education • Jun 13, 2003

“Police stage alcohol raid in dorm-fire investigation” • Orlando Sentinel • Feb 21, 2000 (updated Oct 27, 2018)

“Seton Hall dorm arsonist gets parole” (Bryan T. Murray / The Star-Ledger) • nj.com • Mar 25, 2009

“Students charged years after dorm fire” • Tampa Bay Times • Jun 13, 2003 (updated Sept 1, 2005)

“Murder Charges In Deadly Dorm Fire” (Dan Collins) • CBS News • Jun 13, 2003

“Students go on trial for killer dorm fire” (Emanuella Grinberg / Court TV) • CNN • Nov 14, 2006

“Grand Jury Misconduct Alleged in Seton Hall Dorm Fire Prosecution” • law.com • May 23, 2005

“3 Seton Hall Funerals Held” • CBS News • Jan 19, 2000

Episode 100

In Part 2 of Domestic Detonation, we move deeper into the investigation and unravel how a domestic violence case escalated into a coordinated bombing plot that nearly claimed multiple lives.

As investigators began connecting the devices, forensic evidence and witness testimony painted a chilling picture of planning, coercion, and control — revealing just how far one person was willing to go to keep a partner from leaving.

We explore the forensic evidence that helped build the case, including tool mark comparisons, and discuss the strengths and limitations of these techniques in the broader context of modern forensic science.

We also walk through the critical moments that prevented additional bombs from being delivered, highlighting how coordination between investigators and rapid communication helped stop further attacks before they could occur.

This case is a stark reminder of how domestic violence can escalate and how manipulation and coercive control can lead to extreme violence.

Buy Burn Boston Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/ipCuGL2

Buy Bang Boom Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/a2EACYf

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

Craig, Gary. “Christmas package bomber who killed 5 in New York dies in prison.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Updated Nov. 14, 2024.

“His mouth got him in trouble.” Associated Press, published in The Roanoke Times, Dec. 31, 1993 (Virginia Tech newspaper archive).

United States of America v. Michael T. Stevens, 83 F.3d 60 (2d Cir. 1996). Justia.

Van Biema, David. “Death on Delivery.” TIME. Jan. 10, 1994.

“A Conviction in Case of 5 Deaths by Bombs.” The New York Times. Apr. 1, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.)

“Jury Is Seated in Upstate Mail Bombing.” The New York Times. Mar. 7, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.)

Van Gelder, Lawrence. “Plea Bargain in Mail Bombings That Killed 5 Upstate.” The New York Times. Feb. 9, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.)

“How Detectives Caught the New York Serial Bomber.” Real Responders (YouTube). Posted Feb. 24, 2020.

“N.Y. bombing plot may have taken shape as long as year ago.” Tampa Bay Times. Published Jan. 2, 1994; updated Oct. 6, 2005.

Episode 99

Some crimes are impulsive.

In December 1993, six bombs were delivered across upstate New York in less than ninety minutes. Five people were killed. One survived by pure chance. Another device failed to detonate. And one bomb was unknowingly driven around the region in the back of a courier van before police could stop it.

The victims weren’t politicians. They weren’t business rivals. They weren’t part of an organized crime war.

They were a family.

In this episode, we begin breaking down Domestic Detonation—a coordinated bombing campaign driven not by ideology or profit, but by control. According to investigators, the targets shared one connection: they were the support system of a woman trying to leave a volatile relationship.

Part 1 focuses on the human story and the investigation:

The victims and the nearly identical package bombs

How investigators realized these attacks were connected

Why one woman was spared while the rest of her family was targeted

The early suspects—and why nothing was as simple as it first appeared

The unsettling role of loyalty, manipulation, and obsession in escalating violence

We’ll also introduce the two men at the center of the case—and the red flags investigators couldn’t ignore.

In Part 2, we’ll shift into the forensic evidence:

How investigators linked the bombs

What the explosive components revealed

The confession—and the questions surrounding it

How forensic reconstruction unraveled the plot piece by piece

Buy Burn Boston Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/ipCuGL2

Buy Bang Boom Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/a2EACYf

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

Craig, Gary. “Christmas package bomber who killed 5 in New York dies in prison.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Updated Nov. 14, 2024.

“His mouth got him in trouble.” Associated Press, published in The Roanoke Times, Dec. 31, 1993 (Virginia Tech newspaper archive).

United States of America v. Michael T. Stevens, 83 F.3d 60 (2d Cir. 1996). Justia.

Van Biema, David. “Death on Delivery.” TIME. Jan. 10, 1994.

“A Conviction in Case of 5 Deaths by Bombs.” The New York Times. Apr. 1, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.)

“Jury Is Seated in Upstate Mail Bombing.” The New York Times. Mar. 7, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.)

Van Gelder, Lawrence. “Plea Bargain in Mail Bombings That Killed 5 Upstate.” The New York Times. Feb. 9, 1995. (Accessed via Murderpedia; direct link not captured.)

“How Detectives Caught the New York Serial Bomber.” Real Responders (YouTube). Posted Feb. 24, 2020.

“N.Y. bombing plot may have taken shape as long as year ago.” Tampa Bay Times. Published Jan. 2, 1994; updated Oct. 6, 2005.

Episode 98

In 1999, Garland “Butch” Martin was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Marcia Poole, and her two young children, Brady and Kristin, and was sentenced on three counts of capital murder in Midland, Texas. The State told a compelling story: domestic abuse, accelerant-driven fire, pre-fire blunt force trauma, and motive. A jury believed it.

Twenty-four years later, Butch Martin was exonerated.

In Part Two of this two-part series, April breaks down what the jury didn’t hear: conflicting fire science, flawed forensic anthropology testimony, discarded physical evidence, and the physics of fire that contradict the State’s entire arson-murder theory. We examine the defense, the appellate process, modern NFPA-aligned fire investigation principles, and how the work of Dr. Gerald Hurst and John Lentini unraveled the narrative.

Because before you can call something arson-murder, you have to prove arson — and in this case, there is zero credible evidence that this fire was intentionally set.

In this episode we cover:

The defense’s accidental fire theory

Conflicting chemical analysis (Norpar & “deparaffinated kerosene”)

What Dr. Gerald Hurst and John Lentini found years later

Why NFPA 921 rejects “pour pattern” folklore

The missing extension cord and freezer on the back porch

40 mph winds and the physics problem for the State’s origin theory

Cerebral edema vs. “blunt force trauma”

Anthropologist vs. medical examiner expertise boundaries

The appellate court’s reasoning for exoneration

How wrongful arson convictions keep happening

When you strip away mythology and examine only evidence, this case collapses. Every credible data point points to an accidental fire — and an innocent man lost 24 years of his life.

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

Sources: Please see the source list from Episode 97. 

Episode 97

In this first episode of our two-part series, we go to Midland, Texas, where a fatal house fire claimed the lives of Marcia Pool and two children, Brady and Kristin. In the aftermath, investigators concluded the blaze was intentionally set — and they pointed to one man: Butch Martin.

The state built its theory around burn patterns, accelerant findings, eyewitness accounts, and interpretations of fire behavior that were considered reliable at the time, but would later come under scrutiny as fire folklore. Claims about liquid accelerants, pour patterns, and “arson indicators” formed the backbone of the prosecution’s case.

In Part 1, we cover:

The timeline leading up to the fire

How investigators interpreted burn patterns and damage

The prosecution’s theory of how and why the fire was set

Eyewitness testimony that shaped the narrative

The role accelerant testing played in the case

This episode focuses on the fire itself and the state’s case. It sets the stage for a larger discussion about how outdated investigative practices — including the interpretation of burn patterns during flashover and the assumed meaning of “pour patterns” — contributed to arson convictions during this era.

Next week in Part 2, we take a critical look at the defense, the evolution of modern fire science, and the post-conviction efforts that challenged the original findings.

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

Sources: 

Texas Tech University — Fearless (S4 Episode 4)

Texas Tech University — Fearless (S4 Episode 5)

Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng — Episode #339

International Network of Innocent Arson Defendants (NIAD). “Butch Martin.”

“Judge Recommends Vacating Conviction for Midland Man Serving Life in Prison.” NewsWest9 (November 2, 2022).

NewsWest9 (YouTube). “Friends of the late Marcia Pool recall alleged abuse from ‘Butch’ Martin.” (Posted May 23, 2022).

“Beaumont Jury Finds Man Guilty of Pushing Painkillers.” Houston Chronicle (July 1, 2010).

Ratemds.com. Physician Reviews for Dr. David Hobbit (reviews as recent as 2015).

Episode 96

On December 31, 1986, just hours before Puerto Rico would ring in the New Year, flames tore through the luxurious Dupont Plaza Hotel and Casino in San Juan. What began as a labor dispute escalated into one of the deadliest hotel fires in U.S. history, killing 97 people and injuring more than 140. In the aftermath, investigators would uncover arson, negligence, ignored safety recommendations, a chaotic evacuation, and a legal battle that reshaped fire codes across the hospitality industry.

In this episode, we examine:

The labor tensions and strike that set the stage for disaster

The timeline of the fire and how it spread so rapidly

How smoke and toxic gases became the primary killers

Failures in life safety systems, egress, and emergency planning

The investigation that quickly identified arson

Criminal charges against arsonists

Massive civil litigation and code reforms that followed

Lessons learned in the context of other hotel/casino fires of the era

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

Sources: 

Dupont Plaza Hotel Arson Investigation. Señor Onion’s Archives. YouTube, April 13, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JyUjUoX_so

Dupont Plaza Hotel Arson of 1986. Señor Onion’s Archives. YouTube, October 21, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJsFLgxuDJ8

Nelson, Harold E. “An Engineering Analysis of the Early Stages of Fire Development — The Fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel and Casino — December 31, 1986.” NBSIR 87-3560, National Bureau of Standards, Center for Fire Research, U.S. Department of Commerce, April 1987.

Levy, Harold M. “The Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire Litigation: A Case Study in Cooperative Defense.” Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation, Vol. 7, No. 12, December 1989, pp. 215–233.

José Francisco Rivera-Lopez, Plaintiff, Appellant, v. United States of America, Defendant, Appellee. U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 4 F.3d 982, September 15, 1993. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/4/982/525384/

“Teamsters Dispute with Dupont Plaza Dates Back Four Months.” UPI Archives, January 13, 1987. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/01/13/Teamsters-dispute-with-Dupont-Plaza-dates-back-four-months/7070215305413/

Brossy, Julie. “A Dupont Plaza Bar Boy Was Charged Today With…” UPI Archives, January 14, 1987. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/01/14/A-Dupont-Plaza-bar-boy-was-charged-today-with/8362537598800/

Hernandez, Moises. “Suspect in Hotel Fire Was Honored for Saving ‘Many Lives.’” UPI Archives, January 14, 1987. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/01/14/Suspect-in-hotel-fire-was-honored-for-saving-many-lives/2708537598800/

Gaulin, Edward J. “Defendants Plead Guilty in Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire.” UPI Archives, April 24, 1987. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/04/24/Defendants-plead-guilty-in-Dupont-Plaza-Hotel-fire/8801546235200/

Wilentz, Amy. “A New Year We’ll Never Forget.” TIME, January 12, 1987. https://time.com/archive/6708028/a-new-year-well-never-forget/

Tepfer, Daniel. “A Vacation in Paradise Turns into Fiery Hell.” CTPost, Updated December 30, 2011. https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/a-vacation-in-paradise-turns-into-fiery-hell-2432149.php

Dewey, Joseph. “Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire.” EBSCO Knowledge Advantage Research Starters, 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/dupont-plaza-hotel-fire

“Dupont Plaza Hotel Arson.” Grokipedia. https://grokipedia.com/page/Dupont_Plaza_Hotel_arson

Episode 95

In 1980, a seemingly unremarkable fire threatened to expose something far more dangerous than arson.

What investigators uncovered was a trail that pointed toward an arms pipeline linked directly to the Irish Republican Army, operating quietly while The Troubles raged overseas.

At the center of it all was Charles Galant—a small-time thief who never set out to be part of something so vast, but who became the sole link between a suspicious fire and an armory heist that tied someone in his network to the IRA.

In this episode of Crime to Burn, we explore:

The fire that first drew police attention

How investigators connected a local blaze to an international arms network

The role of theft, secrecy, and compartmentalization in terrorist operations

How Galant’s actions exposed vulnerabilities inside a tightly controlled system

And how one overlooked incident nearly unraveled an entire pipeline

This is a story about unintended consequences, criminal blind spots, and how fire once again became the catalyst that revealed what was never meant to be seen.

Because even the most disciplined organizations fail at their weakest link.

Buy Burn Boston Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/ipCuGL2

Buy Bang Boom Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/a2EACYf

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

Sources: 

Miller, Wayne M. Bang Boom Burn: Explosive True Crime Gun, Bombing, and Arson Cases from a Federal Agent’s Career. AuthorHouse, 2021. ISBN 978-1-7333403-5-9.

Gagnon, Daniel A. “Danvers Armory Robbery, 1976.” Specters of Salem Village, March 17, 2019.

“Official Irish Republican Army.” Wikipedia.

“Frank Salemme.” Wikipedia.

Episode 94

In Part 2 of our series on the Iroquois Theatre Fire, we examine what happened after the flames went out — and why, despite hundreds of deaths, no one was ever held criminally accountable.

Although the fire was accidental, the failures that made it lethal were anything but unforeseeable. In the aftermath, Chicago demanded answers. A coroner’s inquest, multiple grand juries, and a wave of indictments followed — implicating theater owners, city officials, inspectors, fire officials, and contractors. For a brief moment, it looked like accountability might finally arrive.

But the law proved unequal to the scale of the tragedy.

In this episode, we break down how rigid legal standards, gaps in evidence collection, political power struggles, and a failure to clearly assign responsibility allowed every criminal case to collapse. We explore why manslaughter charges failed, how loopholes in municipal authority undermined enforcement, and how even civil lawsuits left victims’ families without compensation.

Finally, we look at what did change — the life safety reforms born from the Iroquois Theatre Fire that still protect us today, from outward-swinging exit doors to panic hardware and illuminated exit signs.

This is the story of a tragedy that reshaped fire and building codes across the world — and a justice system that, when tested, quietly stepped aside.

The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified. 

Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

Sources: 

Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster, 1903