Arson, murder charges filed in deadly California wildfire

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Arson, murder and other charges carrying a possible death sentence were filed Thursday against a 36-year-old man in connection with a wildfire that killed five U.S. Forest Service firefighters last month and other fires earlier this year, authorities said.

The complaint alleges five counts of first-degree murder, 11 counts of arson and 10 counts of use of an incendiary device against Raymond Lee Oyler, 36, of Beaumont, the Riverside County district attorney's office said.

Oyler also faces two so-called special circumstances, one alleging murders committed during arson and another alleging multiple murders, said District Attorney-elect Rod Pacheco.

An arraignment was scheduled for later in the day.

The five firefighters were killed by the Esperanza fire, which spread over more than 60 square miles before being contained Monday. The criminal complaint details 11 counts of arson in Riverside County, including seven fires in June, one in July, one in September and two in October, including the Esperanza fire.

"It is important to note that the charges we are filing today include the possibility that life in prison without the possibility of parole is one possible sentence, as well as death," Pacheco said.

A decision on whether to seek life in prison or the death penalty will be made in the next 60 days, "but only after a careful and sober review of the evidence, the defendant's background, and the particular nature and circumstances of this case," Pacheco said.

The impact of the firefighters' deaths on family and friends will also be considered, he said.

"The feelings of the surviving family members of the victims will be consulted and be given great weight by our office in what is always a difficult decision," he said.

Oyler has not been available for comment since being arrested earlier in the week. A call to the home of Oyler's mother was answered by a woman who said she had no comment.

The Esperanza fire was set shortly after 1 a.m. on Oct. 26 in Cabazon, a city along Interstate 10 about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. Stoked by Santa Ana winds, it swept southwest through the San Jacinto Mountains, overran the five firefighters, destroyed 34 homes and charred more than 60 square miles before being contained Monday.