Sam Penrod Reporting Sentencing today for Mark Anthony Ott. He's the man who tried to kill his ex-wife's boyfriend, but instead started a fire that killed a six-year old girl.
The judge handed down the maximum penalty. The defendant took a plea deal this spring, sparing him the possibility of the death penalty. But today a judge ruled that Mark Anthony Ott will never get out of prison.
It is a frightening and very sad case, where a moment of rage turned deadly, and a six-year old girl was killed. In September of 2002, Ott went to the home of his ex-wife, where he stabbed her boyfriend Allen Lawrence and then started the house on fire. Lawrence escaped, however, his six-year old daughter Lacey was inside and she was killed in the blaze.
Ott contended he did not know the young girl was inside; however, prosecutors charged him with capital murder and were seeking the death penalty, until Ott accepted a plea deal mid trial, hoping for a chance at parole.
Defense attorneys plan to appeal the sentence and claim Ott deserves the possibility of someday being paroled.
