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Updated 02/18/2009 10:50 PM

Second Verdict Reached In Black Sunday Trial

By: Lily Jamali

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Jurors in the Black Sunday Trial have found the building's landlord and owner guilty of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment Wednesday. NY1's Lily Jamali filed the following report.

After struggling for several days, a jury convicted former owner and landlord Cesar Rios and the current corporate owner of a Bronx building of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment.

Jurors also found them not guilty of manslaughter, stemming from a 2005 fire that forced six of New York's Bravest to jump five stories to escape the flames. Fire Lieutenant Curtis Meyran and Firefighter John Bellew were killed in the fall.

For the dead firemen's families and the firefighters who survived, it was a bittersweet moment. A separate jury acquitted two building tenants on the same charges last week.

"We were very satisfied today with this decision from this jury here. It's not a reason to celebrate in any way, it doesn't bring John or Curt back. We're still very disappointed with the decision from Friday. All I can think is that jury made a very dangerous job that much more dangerous with their decision," said Firefighter Brendan Cawley.

Bellew's widow, Eileen, has chosen not to speak to the press, but released a statement saying, "I am satisfied with findings of the jury this afternoon but I am still shocked, saddened and disappointed by the findings of the jury on Friday."

Prosecutors said the tenants, Rafael Castillo and Caridad Coste, were responsible for the deaths because of conditions they created inside the building, including an overloaded outlet that sparked the fire and an illegal partition wall which trapped the firefighters.

Prosecutors argued Rios and the owner should have done something about the illegal conditions. Their lawyers, however, tried to place all the blame on the tenants.

"I certainly don't want to criticize them, but I certainly disagree with them. Especially I suppose, given this in the light of what the first jury did, one would have to ask how could these people be guilty and those two tenants are not guilty, it just defies common sense," said defense attorney Neal Comer.

Attorneys for Rios and the owner also pointed to problems getting water on the fire and a lack of safety ropes that might have allowed the firefighters to escape.

The FDNY now provides those ropes to all firefighters.

After the verdict, Firefighter Jeff Cool, who survived the fire, said he hoped to see a crackdown on single-room occupancies like the ones Coste and Castillo created with the partitions.

"We can make laws on the books that this doesn't happen again because this could've been civilians. It just happened to be six firefighters," said Cool.

Rios now faces up to four years in prison for his role in the fire. The corporation also faces a fine of $15,000.

Defense attorneys have field a motion to dismiss the case. The judge is expected to make a ruling in June.