164:, was asked by the prosecution to investigate the manner of the fire in order to prove Lewis' guilt. Lentini initially reviewed the chemical analysis conducted by a Florida Fire Marshal's chemist, and found his determination of gasoline to be incorrect. Prosecutors then asked for a detailed examination of the findings of the Jacksonville fire investigator, Ray Powell. Lentini suggested recreating the fire. Wanting to stage a faithful recreation, he gained permission to set fire to a condemned house next door to the one that had burned down. The second house was nearly identical to the original, having been built at the same time by the same builder, with an identical floor plan. Lentini and his associates carefully staged the house in order to recreate the original house's furnishings; they "obtained a duplicate of the couch where the defendant said the fire started", "resurfaced the entire living room and hallway with the same 3/8" sheetrock found in the suspect's house", "carpeted with the same kind of carpet, wallpapered the living room walls, and used curtains of a similar type." The team set fire to the couch, without the use of accelerant. Despite their belief that it would take 15 to 20 minutes for
151:
In the early hours of
October 16, 1990, a fire broke out at the residence located at 527 Lime Street in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The two-story, wood-framed house quickly became engulfed in flames. Eight people were inside the house when the fire began. When the first officer arrived, he found
175:
Lentini was scheduled to give testimony on behalf of the prosecution. However, after coming to the conclusion that similar conditions were caused in nearly identical fires, arson by way of accelerant could not be proven. Lentini would later state that he was changed by this discovery, "I had come
171:
After the blaze died down, investigators noted the remains bore similarities to what was present after the original fire. Streaks on the floor called "pour patterns", which were often used as proof of accelerant usage, were seen in the second house as well.
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The fire and resulting investigation has been credited with changing the way arson investigations are held. The case was used as a precedent in the
Australian acquittal on appeal of a person previously convicted of arson.
126:, manslaughter, and six counts of first-degree murder, the last of which could have garnered a death sentence. After a large-scale recreation was staged in an abandoned house near the original site, it was proven that
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Six people, including two women (one who was pregnant) and four young children, were trapped inside the house and killed. Gerald Lewis, who escaped the fire with his three-year-old son, was initially charged with
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35-year-old Gerald Wayne Lewis standing in the front yard, holding his young son
Geramiah; six people—including Lewis' wife, her pregnant sister, and the sister's four young children—remained trapped inside.
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was not necessary to create long-believed classic signs of arson such as pour patterns. The charges against Lewis were dropped, and the Lime Street fire has since become a seminal case in contemporary
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319:"Badly burned: long-held beliefs about arson science have been debunked after decades of misuse and scores of wrongful convictions"
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180:. Needless to say, I was chastened by the experience. My professional life was never the same again."
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530:
431:"Nightmare on Lime Street: How a Ghastly Jacksonville Fire Forever Changed Arson Science in America"
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Lentini created a one-hour video describing his investigations and the lessons learned.
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within 24 hours of giving testimony that could well have sent an innocent person to
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produced an episode about the fire and subsequent investigation, "527 Lime Street."
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505:"Down in Flames: 'Rock Solid' Evidence for Arson Turns Out to be Anything But"
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John
Lentini, a private fire investigator with Applied Technical Services of
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485:"Fire Expert: How I Nearly an Sent an Innocent Man to the Electric Chair"
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to occur, the house became engulfed in flames in only four minutes.
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refers to both a deadly 1990 conflagration at a residence in
228:"Spark of Truth: Can Science Bring Justice to Arson Trials?"
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16:Deadly 1990 conflagration in Jacksonville, Florida
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581:Residential building fires in the United States
462:"The Lime Street Fire: Another Perspective"
576:October 1990 events in the United States
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529:Grann, David. (September 7, 2009). "
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329:(12). American Bar Association: 36
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571:History of Jacksonville, Florida
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551:1990 fires in the United States
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317:Hansen, Mark (December 2015).
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537:. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
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429:Folio Weekly staff (2010).
413:Supreme Court of Queensland
285:"Investigating Arson Cases"
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30:October 16, 1990
483:Lentini, John J. (2010).
460:Lentini, John J. (1992).
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178:Florida's electric chair
415: 19 December 2012).
272:Folio Weekly staff 2010
214:Folio Weekly staff 2010
503:Russell, Sue (2006).
116:Jacksonville, Florida
46:Jacksonville, Florida
440:(15). Archived from
75:30.3221°N 81.6841°W
71: /
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566:Fire investigation
524:General references
132:fire investigation
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406:R v. OMID, Arnesa
392:firescientist.com
337:– via Gale.
291:. Thomson Reuters
289:WestLegalEdcenter
253:"527 Lime Street"
232:Discover Magazine
162:Marietta, Georgia
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80:30.3221; -81.6841
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556:Fires in Florida
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156:Investigation
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449:. Retrieved
442:the original
438:Folio Weekly
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377:, p. 1.
375:Lentini 2010
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363:Russell 2006
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353:, p. 2.
351:Lentini 1992
331:. Retrieved
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514:January 11,
494:January 11,
474:January 11,
451:January 11,
423:Works cited
323:ABA Journal
237:January 11,
78: /
53:Coordinates
545:Categories
295:August 17,
201:References
128:accelerant
66:81°41′03″W
63:30°19′20″N
34:1990-10-16
196:Footnotes
166:flashover
258:Criminal
140:Criminal
42:Location
333:May 29,
32: (
409:,
388:"Home"
187:Legacy
101:Deaths
465:(PDF)
445:(PDF)
434:(PDF)
124:arson
516:2012
496:2012
476:2012
453:2012
335:2020
297:2020
239:2012
110:The
95:Fire
91:Type
27:Date
533:".
489:ABC
327:101
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