Arson Explosion Leads to Manslaughter Charges

What can possibly go wrong when you mix a large volume of gasoline with a hair-brained plan to torch a home to get out from under an upside down mortgage?  For the Long Beach couple who hired their handyman to carry out their scheme, plenty, and it cost the handyman his life.

According to the Mercury News, a Long Beach couple was in court on August 31^st and pleaded no contest to charges that include insurance fraud and manslaughter. The latter charge resulted from their handyman who died while trying to perform the job they paid him to do, which was burning down their house.

Defendant Victor Barriere, 52, admitted a charge of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy to commit arson and insurance fraud and was sentenced to 14 years and four months in state prison, said Long Beach Fire Department arson investigator Pat Wills. Barriere’s wife, Olga Barriere, pleaded to a single count of insurance fraud and received six years behind bars, Wills said.

The investigation took place immediately after the July 3, 2007, fire that destroyed the couple’s house.

After the fire, Long Beach arson investigators worked closely with Long Beach Police homicide detectives and insurance company investigators to find out what happened.

The arsonist, a handyman named Thomas Trucios who was employed by the couple, used an enormous amount of gasoline when prepping the property for the fire. By the time he set the house on fire, the fumes from the fuel had built up to explosive levels. The home was destroyed by a giant explosion, which left massive cracks in the sidewalks and blasted out all of the windows.

Also engulfed in flames was Trucios, who suffered third-degree burns to more than 95 percent of his body. Wills stated that he died later that day at the hospital.

The 600-square-foot home, which LBPD Arson Detective Dennis Zigrang said was crippled with code violations, left the couple with a $315,000 mortgage. He also stated, “you have to remember this was before mortgage reform.”

Several times without luck the Barrieres tried to sell their house, but they were unable to be rid the overpriced property. That’s why they hatched the scheme to burn the house down and collect the insurance, said Wills.

“It’s taken four years but we never forgot,” Wills said. “We took the case very seriously. It took a little time and a lot of (collaborative) work … but we can’t have this going on in the community.”