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Prosecutors to use Evansville man's statements during trial

Posted February 25, 2015 10:00 pm

The Associated Press

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A judge has decided prosecutors can use statements made to police by an Evansville man accused in a triple fatality fire during his upcoming trial.

Christopher Compton faces murder and arson charges after a March blaze left three people dead. The Evansville Courier & Press (http://bit.ly/1DsPIvs ) reports one of the man's attorneys asked the judge last month to omit statements Compton made after he asked for a lawyer.

Compton allegedly admitted he set fire to a jacket inside the house. His attorneys have said they plan to pursue a defense of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

Victims of the blaze included 3-year-old Jazmine Jones; her 28-year-old mother, Keri Jones; and 76-year-old Donald Lankford. The fire injured 10 others, including six firefighters.

The trial is scheduled to begin March 30.

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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com

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