By JOHN LEICESTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MONTE CARLO, Monaco- An American male nurse was convicted Monday in the 1999 arson deaths of billionaire banker Edmond Safra and a nurse, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Ted Maher was convicted of arson leading to death. The fire in this wealthy Mediterranean enclave also killed one of Safra's other nurses, Vivian Torrente.
The prosecution had requested 12 years in prison for Maher in closing arguments earlier Monday. The charges carried a maximum penalty of life in prison.
"He directly caused the deaths of Mrs. Torrente and Mr. Safra," said head prosecutor Daniel Serdet. "He trapped the victims."
The defense had said Maher - who admitted setting the fire - did not intend for Safra and the nurse to die. His intention was merely to trigger the fire alarm and pose as Safra's rescuer.
"Stupidity is reprehensible, but it is not a crime," Sandrine Setton, one of the defense lawyers, said in closing arguments.
Setton argued the charge against Maher should be reduced to involuntary manslaughter.
Maher has been held in Monaco's prison for the last three years.
The fire and trial have been a sensation in Monaco, which prides itself with providing a safe, security and luxurious environment for the rich and famous in this Mediterranean enclave.
For most of Monday's session, Maher sat still in the dock, looking gaunt and tired as he listened to a translation of the proceedings from French into English. Toward the end of the day, he gave a tearful final word in his own defense.
He called Safra "the best employer I ever had," and said he did not mean to cause his death or the death of the other nurse.
"What's happened is and always will be a terrible accident," said the former Green Beret, reiterating earlier testimony, in the hours before the verdict.
Maher's wife was in court, as was Safra's widow.
Safra, the 67-year-old founder and principal stock owner of the Republic National Bank of New York, had Parkinson's disease and required constant care.
He paid Maher $600 a day. Maher, originally from Auburn, Maine, told prosecutors it was "the most beautiful job" he had ever had.
But Maher also said Safra's chief nurse belittled him and he feared losing his job. Just six weeks after arriving in Monaco, he hatched the idea of setting the fire to ingratiate himself with his boss and earn a promotion.
In testimony, Maher called the Dec. 3, 1999, blaze a "terrible accident" and said he never meant to harm his employer.
Lawyers for Safra's widow, Lily, say Maher should be judged for his actions, not his intentions.
On Monday, the prosecutor described how Maher cut himself with a knife and then set a fire in a wastepaper basket. He called for rescue and told authorities that two masked intruders were in the apartment.
But rather than extinguish the fire, Maher let it spread, the prosecution charged, leading to the two deaths. Prosecutors also said that his tale about intruders delayed the work of firefighters.
"What's happened is and always will be a terrible accident," said the former Green Beret, reiterating earlier testimony, in the hours before the verdict.
Someone help me here. I really haven't followed this matter closely - but I have seen many folks claim his confession was coerced - but here he is admitting he set the fire. How are those two contradictions reconciled? This is not meant as flame bait, I'm genuinely puzzled here.