Robert J. Trenkle, CFI, CFEI<\/p>\n
Presented at International Symposium on Fire Investigation, 2014<\/p>\n
ABSTRACT
\nState of Michigan vs. Frederick Mardlin<\/p>\n
On Monday, November 13, 2006 at 1410 hours (2:10 p.m.) a fire occurred at an owner occupied single family\u00a0dwelling at 550 W. Mill Street, Capac, Michigan. The homeowner, Frederick Mardlin, lived there with his family\u00a0and another family which was homeless and allowed to move in with the Mardlin\u2019s. Prior to the fire, only Frederick\u00a0Mardlin was home. He left the house to go to his brother\u2019s house, who lived nearby. The fire was discovered by\u00a0neighbors approximately 15-20 minutes after his departure. The fire was investigated by the local fire department,\u00a0State Fire Marshal and a private investigator for the insurance company.<\/p>\n
Numerous points made in the study by Paul Bieber, director, Arson Research Project, paralleled the Mardlin case,\u00a0including mis-identifying the area of origin of the fire. Ignitable liquids were attributed to accelerating the fire\u00a0although none were identified by laboratory analysis. Cognitive bias was apparent in their findings or they were the\u00a0result of lacking knowledge in fire behavior, or both. Mr. Mardlin was convicted of Arson: Burning of a Dwelling\u00a0House and Insurance Fraud. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. He served four years and was paroled. He was\u00a0denied a new trial at the Appellate Court level and eventually the guilty verdict was vacated by the higher court.\u00a0Hundreds of hours were spent by the appeals attorney, investigators and electrical engineer before the favorable\u00a0outcome was reached. The discussion will explain the exhaustive efforts necessary to right the horrible wrong\u00a0suffered by Mr. Mardlin.<\/p>\n
Download the complete paper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Robert J. Trenkle, CFI, CFEI Presented at International Symposium on Fire Investigation, 2014 ABSTRACT State of Michigan vs. Frederick Mardlin On Monday, November 13, 2006 at 1410 hours (2:10 p.m.) a fire occurred at an owner occupied single family\u00a0dwelling at 550 W. Mill Street, Capac, Michigan. The homeowner, Frederick Mardlin, lived there with his family\u00a0and … Continue reading Wrongful Arson Conviction: Case Review and Discussion<\/span>