Posted on 11/22/2002 10:42:12 AM PST by Jalapeno
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.
1. Some other dude did it - 1
2. Some dude who looked like the Defendant did it - 2
3. The Defendant's cousin did it, so DNA matches - 5
4. See above, made to look like Defendant did it - 10
5. Same as above, only with twin brother - 25
6. Brother, cousin and other dudes did it, as
> part of a NWO/Globalist conspiracy, and
one or both Clinton's are involved - 200
If you can weave Socks and Mena into the same sentence, add an additional 50 points.
They only want to steal our kids - 10
They don't want us to have the right to starve and beat our children, leaving marks - 25
Hillary only wants to eat our children - 500
Or, like Ted's defense, was that just something you threw out there, hoping for more attention.
Was Maher forced to testify in court? If he wasn't, then why did he admit he set the fire?
As to Maher's wife, who knows the truth of what she says? She's married to Ted, so she's probably as big a liar as he is.
Maybe she'll come clean now.
Maher testified in court that he set the fire which resulted in the death of two people.
That is the truth. Now, if this post disappears as well, I'll take that to mean that FR's editorial policy forbids telling the truth about the Maher case.
Please site a reference for this.
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