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Man charged with arson, 2 counts of murder in Northampton fires

E-mail|Link January 5, 2010 02:21 PM

By John R. Ellement and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

NORTHAMPTON -- The man charged with arson and two counts of murder for a rash of fires here was stopped and questioned by police that rainy night last month when more than 15 blazes erupted in just over an hour.

Anthony P. Baye (Nancy Palmieri for The Boston Globe)

Police found Anthony P. Baye, 25, in the neighborhood shortly after the arson. He reeked of alcohol, had been soaked by the rain, and had a cigarette lighter in his pocket. Baye told investigators that night he was looking for his girlfriend, who he said lived on a nearby street, according to prosecutor Michael Anthony Cahillane, who outlined the charges in Northampton District Court.

"He lied to the officers in the first interview," Cahillane said.

Investigators determined that Baye's alibi was bogus, Cahillane said, and police interviewed him again. This time Baye confessed to the arson spree Dec. 27 that killed a father and son in their home, Cahillane said.

"He was present at 17 Fair Street," Cahillane said. "He did enter onto the enclosed porch, and he did set a small fire on the enclosed porch."

Baye kept his head cast at the floor during his brief arraignment. His attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, but he did not address the specific allegations. Judge Richard Carey ordered him held without bail until his next court appearance March 5. The Northampton resident lives with his parents on Hawley Street and works as a cook at The Sierra Grille in his hometown. Baye's mother declined today to speak to reporters who knocked on the family's door.

Prosecutors would did not outline a motive for the alleged crimes, but Northwest District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel said this afternoon at a press conference that "all of the fires appear to have been random."

The night of the arson, authorities responded to 15 fires from 2 a.m. to 3:15 a.m. Several other small blazes were extinguished by homeowners in the same neighborhood. Prosecutors plan to file charges against Baye for the other fires when the case is presented to a grand jury.

Northampton has experience a spike in suspicious fires the last two years, but authorities would not say whether they suspected Baye might be involved in any other arson cases.
The fire on Fair Street killed Paul Yeskie, 81, and his son, Paul Jr., 39. The elder Yeskie's wife was sleeping on the second floor when she heard a smoke alarm and roused her husband.

"He told her to get out of the building and he would get their son" on the first floor, Cahillane said.

The two men did not make it out of the home. Investigators found a first-floor window open, indicating that they tried to escape. An autopsy determined that they died from burns and smoke inhalation. Baye pleaded not guilty today to arson, two counts of murder, and armed burglary.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan today praised the work leading to Baye's arrest, pointing out that only 11 percent of serial arsonists are ever charged.

"This is a textbook case of how arson should be investigated," Coan said.

A hotline setup by investigators generated 300 tips, Coan said, providing investigators with invaluable information.

"The public was deputized," said Coan, who would not describe the specific tips. "They heard the call to action. They came forward, and they provided crucial information."