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Club Ivy firesetter convicted of murder
DAYTON — James D. Williams III, accused of setting the Aug. 26 fire at the Club Ivy which killed the club’s chef, was convicted of two counts of aggravated arson and two counts of murder Thursday, July 30.
Williams has been on trial since Monday. The jury got the case late Wednesday, then decided to continue deliberations on Thursday morning. The verdict was announced after 1 p.m.
Williams was accused of setting the Aug. 26 fire at the Club Ivy, 3509 N. Main St. The fire claimed the life of Robert C. Fabia, 50, who was the chef and was still inside the structure.
The jury convicted Williams of: — One count of aggravated arson, under the part of the statute that covers an occupied structure. — One count of aggravated arson, under the part of the statute that covers agreement for hire. — Two counts of felony murder, which were contingent on convictions for the two aggravated arson counts. — One count of arson. — One count of involuntary manslaughter, which was contingent on a conviction for the arson count. — Two counts of possessing criminal tools, for the ladder and gas can that were used in the crime.
The jury acquitted Williams of a third count of aggravated arson, this one under the part of the statute that covers harm to a person, and a murder count that was contingent on that aggravated arson count.
Under Ohio law, a person can be convicted of murder, even if the defendant did not purposely kill another, should the defendant be convicted of certain high-level felonies, such as aggravated arson.
Williams, 28, of Trotwood, will be sentenced Aug. 13 by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Wiseman. The murder and involuntary manslaughter counts will likely merge for the purposes of sentencing, since they all cover the same death. Involuntary manslaughter is a first-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Murder is an unclassified offense and is punishable by 15 years to life in prison.
Defense attorney Douglas Hess told the jury Wednesday that Williams was only guilty of arson, and that he had no idea that someone was inside the building, which was set on fire between 1 and 2 a.m. He urged the jury to reject the three aggravated arson and murder counts.
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Comments
By M
July 30, 2009 2:56 PM | Link to this
Do you suppose he is the idiot that has been setting fires all over the city for the past few months or does he just ruin peoples lives for money? Hope he is locked up for our safety for a long time. He is very lucky that in our society we don’t enforce an eye for an eye; he wouldn’t be so lucky in some other places.By s
July 30, 2009 3:34 PM | Link to this
If you knew his family, you would know he never had a chance of being a decent human being.By D
July 30, 2009 4:24 PM | Link to this
So he’s going to use his family as an excuse for criminal behavior his whole life? What about the victims children, what chance do they now have?By beezlebub
July 30, 2009 5:55 PM | Link to this
Who paid him to do this job? And why? That’s the real question.By painfultruth
July 30, 2009 6:00 PM | Link to this
Fry him. NOW! Crank up the electric chair again. I’ll even pay for the power bill…By Michael Fabia
July 30, 2009 6:08 PM | Link to this
I would like to thank the jury for putting away a bad seed that took a son, a brother, a father, a grandfather and a friend to many away from us. I pray that the judge will find away to see that he never has a chance to make poor choices again that will effect the lifes of others. I hope that the sentence on the additional charges will keep him locked up as long as he lives. As for the family that raised him, I hope you are burdened by his being in prison and hope someday you will realize the pain that you have caused our family by raising this kind of person.By Mike
July 30, 2009 6:21 PM | Link to this
This dude needs 3-needles at the “Death House” in Lucasville. When he set fire to this place, he must have known there was a possibility of someone being inside the club. His smug picture clearly shows how remoresful he really is of his crime.By kathy
July 30, 2009 7:09 PM | Link to this
shouldnt the person who hired him be charged tooBy Gary
July 30, 2009 7:46 PM | Link to this
The story indicates that Williams was found guilty of “One count of aggravated arson, under the part of the statute that covers agreement for hire”. Is there any news on who did the hiring?By S
July 30, 2009 7:59 PM | Link to this
And it doesnt change the fact that a person lost there life because Fabia was a great person, but the MF that hired him need too burn too u dirty MF you know who you are!By Patty Murphy
July 30, 2009 11:17 PM | Link to this
I do know his family. Obviously you don’t. You can question his judgement but don’t insult the rest of the family because he made a bad call. The family is just as traumatized to know that their loved took the life of someone else’s loved one!!By Duh
July 31, 2009 10:26 AM | Link to this
I dont see why there are always the same “know it alls” on here. This was obviously gang related and gang violence. Williams made a poor decision by getting involved and now was 15 to life to pay for it. Not to mention be the only one to pay for it, ratting out any gangsters that were involved would just get him killed in prison.By Lou Grieco
July 31, 2009 3:34 PM | Link to this
Hey folks, I appreciate the interest, but i had to take some of the comments down. Please do not speculate as to who hired Mr. Williams. As reported in an earlier entry about the lead detective’s testimony, Williams identified another man who hired him, but that man has not been charged, presumably because prosecutors don’t believe there is enough evidence yet. The detective identified that man in court by name, but the Dayton Daily News does not identify uncharged suspects, particularly those who have not even been arrested. That’s because of obvious legal and ethical reasons. Williams also told police that the second man was hired by a third man who had a dispute with the building’s owner. That was also reported in an earlier blog entry. That’s the most that I can report at this time.By S
July 31, 2009 3:37 PM | Link to this
Thats funny gang related hah! Gangsters dont let they people get to the courtroom. It’s just individuals that made some of the most silly mistakes that money cant correct now.By yo
July 31, 2009 3:43 PM | Link to this
Well said lou,but I saw the comments not to speculate but they made a lot of sense.By Jo
July 31, 2009 3:55 PM | Link to this
I did’nt see the comments what were they pertaining too.By Jamie Fabia
August 15, 2009 8:12 PM | Link to this
I dont know he knew someone was in the building or not…this man should still be punished to the fullest extent of the law. You took my best friend, and you will answer for your actions one day to a higher power. I hope you remember the pain you have caused for the rest of your life. If it were up to me you would be set on fire!By Jamie Fabia
August 15, 2009 8:12 PM | Link to this
I dont know he knew someone was in the building or not…this man should still be punished to the fullest extent of the law. You took my best friend, and you will answer for your actions one day to a higher power. I hope you remember the pain you have caused for the rest of your life. If it were up to me you would be set on fire!By James D Williams II
August 17, 2009 1:15 AM | Link to this
To the family of Robert Fabia The Williams family knows there are no words that can be said or written to express the sorrow and loss that our son has caused to your family As the name states I am the father of James D Williams III. Proud that my son told the truth. He as could have done what others who I will not call by name did ask for an attorney. Walk out the door. My son statement to the detective was of his own free will. He took responabily for his actions.Made no excuses.He told detectives everything he knew. Even knowing that it would put him in danger and harms way.And for those of you who don’t know him you will be glad to know that it has come at a cost to him us and his children.We only hope that detectives and prosecting attorneys will make the same efforts to bring others that were involved to justice.By jacob
August 18, 2009 7:39 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the comment, Mr. Grieco. Let’s all celebrate that this piece of trash is going to get a long prison sentence. No more murders for this guy!By Nikki
September 29, 2009 12:56 PM | Link to this
I dont want to believe J.D could do this, but he did. We went to school together and he was not a “BAD SEED”. He made this mistake and ultimately took the life of someone’s loved one and no words can explain it or defend it, and he is going to pay for it for the rest of his life knowing that he took another life. It dont stem back to his “family” or how he was “raised” he was not a bad kid. In most cases like this it boils down to gangs and drugs, in this case it was drugs. As J.D got older he started a bad habit and that habit was expensive and this is what it lead to. If J.D knew someone was in that building he would have never done this.By N
September 29, 2009 12:57 PM | Link to this
I dont want to believe J.D could do this, but he did. We went to school together and he was not a “BAD SEED”. He made this mistake and ultimately took the life of someone’s loved one and no words can explain it or defend it, and he is going to pay for it for the rest of his life knowing that he took another life. It dont stem back to his “family” or how he was “raised” he was not a bad kid. In most cases like this it boils down to gangs and drugs, in this case it was drugs. As J.D got older he started a bad habit and that habit was expensive and this is what it lead to. If J.D knew someone was in that building he would have never done this.