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Mother Sentenced For Lying About Fire

Safyre Terry
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A New York woman has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for lying to a federal grand jury about the fire that killed her ex-boyfriend and three of her children and left a fourth child with severe burns.

Jennica Duell was sentenced Monday in federal court in Albany to 11 years and three months for lying about details surrounding the May 2013 fire at a Schenectady home. Killed in the blaze were a 32-year-old man and three of Duell's four children, ages 11 months, 2 and 3.

The fourth, Sa'fyre Terry, now 9, suffered burns over most of her body. A fundraising effort that drew national attention last year brought in more than $400,000 for the girl.

No one has been charged with starting the fire.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.