HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) - The nephew of the homeowner charged earlier in an Ohio firefighter’s death in a house fire alleged to be arson has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder.
Forty-six-year-old William “Billy” Tucker entered the pleas Monday through his attorney. A Butler County judge set his bond at $500,000, the same bond set earlier for his uncle, 66-year-old Lester Parker. Tucker was recently brought to southwest Ohio after his arrest in Richmond, Kentucky.
Both Tucker and Parker have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and arson. A trial date for them could be set in a hearing next month.
Prosecutors allege Parker solicited Tucker to set the fire that killed Hamilton firefighter Patrick Wolterman in 2015. Wolterman died after he fell through a floor of the burning home in Hamilton.
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