UPDATE @ 3 p.m. (Jan. 27): A man convicted this month of murder and other felonies in the Easter 2018 fire that caused the death of a 75-year-old Harrison Twp. man was sent to prison Monday.
Shawn Albertson, 50, was sentenced to 17 years to life.
>> Dayton-area teen indicted for murder, conspiracy in Warren County
He was found guilty of murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated arson, aggravated robbery, grant theft and aggravated possession of drugs in the death of Gerald Lee Manns.
FIRST REPORT
A Montgomery County Common Pleas jury convicted a man Friday for setting a fire that caused the death of a 75-year-old man on Easter Sunday in 2018.
Shawn Albertson, 50, was found guilty as charged of murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated arson, aggravated robbery, grand theft and aggravated possession of drugs in Gerald Lee Manns’ death.
>> RELATED: Homeless man arraigned in deadly Easter house fire in Harrison Twp.
The victim’s son, Frank Manns, sat through the trial this week. He said it was difficult to relive those memories, but that Friday’s verdict is one step closer to closure.
“It’s been a long, tough process. Me and my family just want closure and we want justice,” he said.
On April 1, 2018, crews responded to a house fire in the 4200 block of Merrimac Avenue in Harrison Twp.
Manns was pulled from the home after he was found unconscious in the basement among rubble from the fire.
He was pronounced dead at Miami Valley Hospital. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office ruled Manns died as a result of the fire.
The son recalled the moment he learned his dad died.
“I will never forget Easter again. It was a tough day. I got the phone call and went to his house,” Frank Manns said.
>> Death penalty sought in Easter house fire in Harrison Twp.; $1 million bond set
Crews initially did not suspect foul play was involved, but Manns and other relatives felt something was off.
“There were things misplaced, things where they were not supposed to be,” Manns said.
They also discovered some of his father’s possessions — including his truck — were missing, and a death investigation was launched.
Witnesses and video surveillance identified Albertson as the person who abandoned Manns’ truck, which was found in a residential Harrison Twp. neighborhood.
>> RELATED: Daughters of suspect in fatal fire ‘heartbroken’ for victim’s family
Further investigation led police to the Days Inn on Miller Lane in Butler Twp., where Albertson and Nancy Dalton were found in a room with drugs and items belonging to Manns.
Investigators determined that Dalton did not participate in the fire, but met up with Albertson shortly after.
When Albertson is back in court for his sentencing Jan. 27, Manns said he will be there, too.
