PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 40-year-old man who admitted to setting a deadly fire in Kensington two years ago was sentenced Tuesday morning to 25 to 60 years behind bars.
Jose Rivera already pleaded guilty to third degree murder, arson and aggravated assault charges connected to the death of a 66-year-old woman and injury of five others in August 2024.
The fire was started around 4 a.m. along Russell Street just off Kensington Avenue, and spread through five row homes, killing Evelyn Payne, who was found unresponsive in her second floor bedroom. Fire officials said there were no working fire alarms in the house where the fire began.
In total, 23 people were displaced in the fire.
Rivera went by the alias Shadeek McDowell, and was arrested at the scene of the fire.
Jose Rivera, 40, was arrested at the scene on Russell Street in 2024.
Jose Rivera, 40, was arrested at the scene on Russell Street in 2024.
