Man pleads guilty to manslaughter in Pueblo house fire that killed three people
A Pueblo man pleaded guilty Monday to one count of reckless manslaughter in a March 2021 house fire that killed three people.
Josey Spets was originally charged with three counts of reckless manslaughter and one of arson, but all the other charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement.
The three people who died in the fire were Priscilla Mitchell, Shawna Walsh, and Thomas Ortega. Ortega lived in the house, but the two women were visiting.
Spets admitted in court to starting a fire in the basement of the house, located in the 1200 block of West 15th Street, after someone said they were cold.
He lit a can of camping fuel, but it "got out of control" and spilled onto the floor and the fire spread until it had engulfed the entire structure, he told the court.
More: Two men charged in connection with 2021 Pueblo house fire that killed 3 people
Spet's voice broke as he described running through the house, warning the 17-19 people in the building that there was a fire, and urging them to get out.
"I noticed some people didn't get out after the fire department had put out the fire," he said. A detective for the Pueblo Police Department wrote in an affidavit of probable cause for an arrest warrant that Spets said he used methamphetamine and heroin the day of the fire.
Spets said in court he has been prescribed methadone to help get off of drugs.
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Landlord and co-defendant Mark Balfour allegedly told investigators he was aware many of his residents used drugs, and that the house had been referred to as a "trap house" where drug users could go to privately use drugs.
Balfour has been charged with three counts of negligent homicide after code violations were found in the house, including failure to obtain permits for work he did on the house and lack of exits, such as windows, in all rooms to allow people to escape in the event of fire.
Spets is set to be sentenced on June 26 at 2:15 p.m. A procedural hearing has been scheduled for Balfour on April 18.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Man pleads guilty in fire that killed three people
