Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Riverside County pays reward to anonymous informant in 2006 wildfire arson murder case
Listen
• 0:57
Daybreak reveals the ruins of a home destroyed in the deadly 40,000-acre Esperanza Fire in the San Jacinto Mountains on October 28, 2006 west of Palm Springs near Banning, California.
(
David McNew/Getty Images
)
Riverside County has agreed to pay a $50,000 reward to a witness who helped deliver a notorious convicted arsonist to justice. The anonymous person helped authorities prosecute an out-of-work mechanic for purposely starting a wildfire that killed five firefighters five years ago.
Riverside County supervisors voted unanimously to award the money. They had authorized a $100,000 reward a few days after five U.S. Forest Service firefighters died battling the Esperanza Wildfire near Banning. The 40,000-acre wildfire also destroyed more than 30 homes.
A Riverside County jury convicted Raymond Lee Oyler on multiple counts of arson and murder two years ago. Nobody claimed the reward until last year.
It’s not clear why the supervisors reduced the reward to $50,000. An attorney for the witness said his client wished to remain unidentified because she feared for her safety.
Support for LAist comes from
During Oyler’s 2007 trial, his second cousin admitted that she had put in a claim on the reward. She testified that Oyler had boasted about planning to set a "mountain on fire." A former girlfriend also provided key testimony; she said she’d threatened to leave Oyler unless he stopped setting fires.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist