Retrial Decision Due Next Year In Triple-Fatal 1995 Arson

PITTSBURGH (AP) – A federal judge decides next year on a second trial in the case of a man accused of having set a Pittsburgh fire that killed three firefighters almost a quarter of a century ago. Forty-two-year-old Gregory Brown was sentenced to life in the Valentine’s Day 1995 fire but won a new trial. His attorneys say a federal trial violates double jeopardy. Prosecutors say the state and federal systems represent different jurisdictions. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the judge told both sides to submit briefs by mid-February, but he says the defense appears to be “trying to create” a new legal standard.