Jury deliberations began Tuesday in the trial of a convicted felon accused of igniting multiple fires around Homeland over a 10-day span.
Marco Antonio Aispuro, 44, is charged with 13 counts of arson and one count of attempted arson for the fire series that began May 10, 2016, and ended with his arrest 10 days later.
After more than a week of testimony, the prosecution and defense made their closing statements Tuesday, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Eric Helgesen sent jurors behind closed doors to begin weighing evidence.
Aispuro is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.
According to prosecutors, Aispuro allegedly went on an arson spree that destroyed two sheds and damaged a mobile home, a detached garage and the land abutting several churches.
Deputy District Attorney Melanie Deutsch alleged in a trial brief that Aispuro’s first target was the area of state Route 74 and Leon Road, where the sheds burned down.
That same day, Aispuro allegedly set fire to vegetation along state Route 74 at Naumann Avenue, but county fire crews quickly gained the upper hand.
Aispuro’s adult son lived at the location and encountered the defendant in his backyard, sparking a confrontation between the estranged pair, at the end of which the defendant ran away, according to the brief.
Aispuro then allegedly torched bushes around the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Homeland, as well as vegetation near the Romoland Unified School District headquarters and Hemet Fence, in the 25900 block of Juniper Flats Road, Deutsch said.
In each instance, county fire crews responded and contained the flames in under a half-hour.
Aispuro allegedly ignited a spot fire at Juniper Flats and Oak Creek Drive on May 15, 2016, but again crews knocked it down within minutes.
According to court papers, a cluster of fires were lit near the Community First Church of God on Homeland Avenue, damaging a detached garage and a double-wide trailer. A final fire was set behind a residence on nearby Neer Street, the prosecution stated.
Arson and sheriff’s investigators began collecting evidence at the outset of the series, with clues pointing to Aispuro, according to the brief.
One clue was a moniker — “2 hard” — spray-painted on structures and other objects where the fires occurred. The defendant’s children attributed the moniker to him, prosecutors allege.
Shoe prints found at several locations were also allegedly matched to Aispuro, Deutsch said, and he was arrested without incident at his Perris residence.
According to court records, Aispuro has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, battery, auto theft and making criminal threats.
–City News Service