With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Riverside County pays reward to anonymous informant in 2006 wildfire arson murder case
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
)
Listen
0:57
Riverside County pays reward to anonymous informant in 2006 wildfire arson murder case
Riverside County pays reward to anonymous informant in 2006 wildfire arson murder case
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.
Sponsored message
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.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
