American nurse (Ted Maher) on trial in billionaire's death says it was an accident

Court TV ^ | AP

[Jalapeno]

American nurse on trial in billionaire's death says it was an accident

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) — An American nurse who has confessed to setting a blaze that killed his billionaire employer said in a Monaco court Friday that he never expected the fire to rage out of control.

At the second day of his trial, Ted Maher indicated the fire was part of a bizarre plan to ingratiate himself with Edmond Safra, his wealthy employer. Safra, the founder and principal stock owner of the Republic National Bank of New York, died in the Dec. 3, 1999 blaze in his Monaco penthouse, along with Vivian Torrente, one of his private nurses.

Speaking in a monotone and looking gaunt, Maher told the court he started the blaze in a small wastebasket, expecting it to set off a fire alarm that would bring help and allow him to reap the credit for saving his employer.

"It was very stupid," Maher said. Pinching his nose and bowing his head, he added: "I will have to live with this daily for the rest of my life. ... It was a terrible accident, that's all it was. A terrible accident for which I share my part of the responsibility."

"I never wanted to hurt Safra," he said.

Maher, 44, could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of arson that led to the death of two people.

Maher testified that he started the fire, then stabbed himself -- convinced he would emerge the hero who rushed his employer to safety while fending off attackers. Safra and Torrente suffocated in the smoke-filled bathroom where they sought refuge.

Rescuers were slow in responding to the smoke alarm, Maher testified. The defense contends police stopped firefighters from entering the building, believing two intruders were still inside.

One of Maher's lawyers, Michael Griffith, claimed that Safra may also have contributed to his own death, refusing to leave the bathroom despite receiving repeated phone calls assuring him it was safe to come out.

Griffith also accused police and fire services of negligence, saying: "They got on the premises at 5:15 a.m. and didn't get into Mr. Safra's room until 7:45. It's abhorrent that two and a half hours went by and no one saved this man. These were keystone cops."

Maher at times sounded confused as he listened to the proceedings being translated from French into English. He showed flashes of anger under questioning by prosecutors.

A former Green Beret, Maher helped care for Safra, who suffered from Parkinson's disease and required around-the-clock care. He has been held in Monaco for the last three years.

[Jalapeno]

bump

[RightOnline]

Let me get this perfectly straight.

He admits that he started this fire........that the whole thing was set up by him????

[job]

This is BS. First,Maher never, never confessed to having stabbed himself or faked anything. The alleged confession was written in French, which Maher does not read, and allegedly "signed" by Maher at a time while under the influence of drugs he was receiving for wounds, and administered at the hands of the Monagasque police. Second, Maher's part in all of this was putting a candle in a wastebasket and holding it up to the fire alarm/sprinkler sensors. Maher did what we are all told to do when under attach and police are not at hand: signal the fire department. It was the most expedient way to alert the authorities. More importantly, this did not set the fire that consumed the premises. In fact, evidence from fire reports show that the fire actually started in the basement. Third, there is real speculation as to whether Safra died from smoke inhalation, or from a bullet to the head. Lily, who has already gone thru two other husbands (one died by suicide: he shot himself in the heart, TWICE), had the body disposed of b/f independant autopsy could be performed, which at that time his brothers wanted done. Adding to the attach is the Monagasue keystone cops rescue efforts, which took over 4 hours to get to Safra even after they arrived on the scene. Safra's body guards had been sent home by Lily, Safra's wife, and even after they arrived with the key to the safe closet, they were not allowed in.

What surprises me is that CourtTV and reuters are transmitting the same story that Monagasque courts and Lily Safra have been spinning, there is no mention of the fact that Ted vehmently denies all accusations.

[Jalapeno]

This is not BS. It's fact. Ted Maher made these statements today in court in Monaco.

This should not be a surprise to anyone.

Here is what Michael Griffith, his American Lawyer, said what would happen a few weeks ago.

this thread has a document Ted worte describing it as an accident over six months ago.

[PAR35]

The defense attorneys have apparently changed their theory of the case:

Ted Maher, a former US soldier who had also worked at a Las Vegas casino, is accused of causing death by arson. The 44-year-old originally said two masked intruders had broken in, stabbed him and set fire to the apartment.

Maher dropped the story and admitted starting the fire himself in an attempt to win praise for rescuing his 67-year-old employer.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3005802&thesection=news&thesubsection=world

[Jalapeno]

Here's your article:

Staged break-in ends in tragedy

23.11.2002

MONACO - A male nurse is on trial accused of starting a fire that killed billionaire Edmond Safra at his Monaco mansion in a case which has given a glimpse into the lifestyles and fears of the ultra-rich.

Lebanese-born Safra, a private banker who suffered from Parkinson's disease and had 24-hour nursing care, suffocated in his bathroom along with a woman nurse as fumes from the blaze engulfed his 20-room penthouse.

Safra, who had a fear of home invasions, refused to be coaxed out of the bathroom.

Ted Maher, a former US soldier who had also worked at a Las Vegas casino, is accused of causing death by arson. The 44-year-old originally said two masked intruders had broken in, stabbed him and set fire to the apartment.

Maher dropped the story and admitted starting the fire himself in an attempt to win praise for rescuing his 67-year-old employer.

His lawyer has said Maher staged a break-in then set fire to a wastebin beneath a smoke detector to trigger off security alarms so he could appear to rescue Safra, one of the world's richest men.

The trial, which opened on Thursday at the tiny principality's criminal court, will throw some light on one of France's most mysterious and high-profile arson attacks.

Monaco, a tiny tax haven for the rich and famous, is also notorious for its shadier side. Despite being heavily policed, it is seen as riddled with mafia-style crime and money laundering.

Scores of police officers guarded the court where 15 lawyers, 53 witnesses, dozens of experts and translators are due to take part in a trial expected to run until early next month.

Maher, who was hired by Safra in August 1999, told the court he considered it his best job after stints in the Army and in a police academy, as well as time spent as a casino security officer in Las Vegas.

The court heard Maher was paid $US600 ($1221) a day, tax-free, with food and lodging for duties which included taking Safra, who was prone to losing his balance, to the bathroom.

"I liked Mr Safra enormously," Maher said. "He was kind and generous, and I did my best to help him and make his day-to-day life easier. I respected him and he respected me."

Maher said he had led an itinerant life after an unhappy childhood during which his parents divorced.

He described his father, a veteran of the Korean war, as a strict man who physically abused Maher and was later committed, suffering from schizophrenia.

Maher has been detained for nearly three years by Monaco authorities. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Safra's 65-year-old widow, Lily Safra, is ranked Britain's eighth-richest woman.

[tracer]

So now we have Maher admitting in open court -- in front of Court TV for all the world to see -- that his purportedly coerced confession was genuine after all and that his story of invading arsonists was a lie all along.

To think of all the bandwidth and good will that has been used up on the FR over this......

[daylate-dollarshort]

Unfortunately, the evidence is in. Maher did in fact admit to setting the fire in a wastebasket which he claims was not an attempt to murder his employer. He to this day denies that he is an arsonist based upon his self-serving argument that it was the fault of the police and fire department that the fire spread and destroyed the entire upper floors of the building.

The problem he has with the argument was the lie he told the officials at the time of the fire. His wounds ended up being superficial. The exploratory surgery was more consequential. It was initially believed that "assasins" were still in the building stopping any fire suppression due to the risk to the lives of the firemen and police. This was Maher's doing and he should be held accountable.

Maher would have the Court agree that since there was no intent to kill Safra, rather just to impress his boss, he should not be held responsible for his death. He argues that the death was the result of the failure to extinguish the flames he set.

By any definition he is guilty of the arson and thus responsible for the resultant deaths.

As to the other "mysteries" ie. Safra was shot in the head, the fire having started in the basement, etc, etc, ad nauseum- these were all red herrings designed to save his own butt and were not supported by the evidence. The truth is out, Maher is obviously guilty. All that really remains is to decide how he will be punished.

[job]

Well, yes to you and all others, this is BS.

And, I question your credentials and motive.

I have had several conversations with his wife, and the drivel you are all spouting is the same spin put out by the MG court. Where do you get your definition of arson? MG law, US criminal law?

If I light a candle to set off a sprinkler and alarm system, is that arson? No. His admission that he lit a candle in wastebasket is not an admission of arson. It is intellectually dishonest for any American to deny that whenever they are threatened and need help from authorities, the very first thing to do is yell fire. Ted did the same, only he could not use the phone lines b/c they had been cut. So he set off the sprinklers.

You shrug off that a basement fire is of little importance. Well, if your going to convict Ted, you damn sure better prove that his act of lighting a candle destroyed the condo. Ted's fire experts, and that of the MG investigative fire expert, conclude that the fire that actually caused the condo to be consumed started in the basement. Something called proximate cause. Maybe you should pull a first year law book.

Is his wife Heidi lying too? What about his brother? What about Safra's bodyguards, ex-Mossad agents? What about Kissinger, who stated that Safra's death was planned? All of these people skillfully crafted lies?

Do your homework before you determine someone is guilty, you all make me want to puke!!!!

[PAR35]

To think of all the bandwidth and good will that has been used up on the FR over this......

I agree with that. I was frankly surprised the other day when I read that he had confessed. My initial thought was that it is probably not a good idea to insult a monarch and his people if you are seeking mercy from them. I hope, for his sake, that some of his more strident supporters haven't dug a very deep hole for him.

[KKing]

You just don't get it...

Maher is in court and this is his chance to tell his story, better yet, tell the truth.

It looks like he has.

[discostu]

Why stick a candle in a wastepaper basket? If you're trying to set a fire alarm off just hang onto the candle and jam that sucker up there. Most candles are shorter than trashcans, by having it in a trashcan he's moving the candle further from the detecting unit. Also you have a problem with tilt, what's gonna happen to the candle in the basket when you pick it up to get it to the detecting unit? Are you gonna take the time to melt the bottom of the candle to stick it to the bottom of the trashcan? The explanaition, as you've laid it out, simply doesn't add up. Unless he's using the candle to start a fire in the trashcan there's no reason for a trashcan to be involved. And I knew when I was 8 that fires and trashcans are a bad combo (got in a lot of trouble for that too). And if he started a fire in a difficult to control environment (like a trashcan) and that fired went on to destroy property and lives then yes indeed it is arson.

As for what everybody else says: if they weren't there it's just conjecture, conjecture can be wrong without the person lieing. Maher was there, he just said he started a fire in the trashcan on purpose and NOT to alert authorities to some invader. So unless you're prepared to say that he is lieing under oath it's open and shut.

[sinkspur]

Is his wife Heidi lying too? What about his brother?

His wife, who regularly comes on FR to spew her venom at those who think Maher was guilty from the get-go, is as nutty as her husband. She's not telling the truth, that's for sure, but she may not be mentally stable enough to be called "lying."

Did you not read the article?

Maher is in court. He confessed to starting the fire, to impress his boss. He's guilty. All that bullshit that's been all over this site for the last year about "freeing Ted Maher" was put up by dupes of the Maher family.

Free Ted Maher indeed! He ought to be locked up for life.

What a nutjob!

[PAR35]

You might go to http://www.tedmaher.com/ and click on the links that they post under the "Trail Updates" heading. Some of the stories are in French, but the ABC/Reuters story is in English and matches the other news stories posted here.

His wife apparently admitted to at least one newspaper that the fire was caused by paper (not merely a candle as has been suggested above)

From a story in the April 29, 2001 Portsmouth Herald
http://www.seacoastonline.com/2001news/4_29a.htm

Maher and the second nurse who later died in the fire weren't supposed to be working that December day, but were scheduled at the last minute, Heidi Maher told the Herald.

There was apparently trouble that day.

In the early morning hours, Maher reported a break-in to his employer and said two hooded intruders entered the penthouse, which is located above Safra's Republic National Bank.

The intruders allegedly stabbed Maher in the leg and abdomen. While Torrente huddled in a locked bathroom with Safra, Maher gave her his cellular phone and told her to call for help.

"He was trying to save them that night," Heidi said.

Maher then went and lighted a fire in a wastepaper basket and placed the small fire under a fire alarm. That December night, Safra's penthouse went up in flames.

"The only fire my husband lit was a piece of paper being held under the smoke alarm leading to the fire station," she said. "It was lit solely to get help to arrive since the police refused to respond to pleas of help."

Safra's wife, Lily, had been alerted of the intruders and as the flames and smoke engulfed the luxury penthouse, she escaped through the bedroom window.

Between 4:50 and 6:30 a.m., Safra and Torrente made nearly a dozen calls on two cellular phones.

Police and fire officials pleaded with Safra on the phone to come out of the burning building, according to reports, but he was so afraid of being killed, he refused to leave the bathroom. Instead, he placed wet towels along the bottom of the bathroom door.

Two hours later, rescuers reached the banking tycoon and Torrente, but it was too late, Dunne reported in Vanity Fair.

Rumors quickly spread through the tiny country that the Russian Mafia or Palestinian terrorists may have assassinated Safra. Initially, Ted Maher was named a hero, even though his billionaire employer had perished in the blaze.

Maher faces wrongful death charges in that by lighting the fire, he caused the deaths of Safra and Torrente.

Maher was rushed to Princess Grace Hospital, where he was treated for his wounds. But authorities began to focus on the American nurse as their prime suspect.

Heidi said her husband never would have purposely harmed Safra or anyone else.

Authorities in Monaco later discovered a second fire that night in the basement of Safra's building, but nobody has been charged at this time for lighting that fire.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Gee whiz, I thought he had nothing to do with it? Now he's involved and says it was an accident?

Was he lying then or is he lying now?

[Poohbah]

You haven't addressed the salient issue: why did Ted Maher say what he has just said in open court, if it is not the truth?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Where do you get your definition of arson?

It's fairly simple.

1. Did he start the fire?
Yes.

2. Did anyone die from this fire?
Yes.

Res Ipsa Loquitur.

[Poohbah]

I have to ask this question:

Is Ted Maher really a former Green Beret?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Is Ted Maher really a former Green Beret?

I personally am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on that by saying it is immaterial at this juncture.

Though, it is a good question for later.