WAMC News

Jury Selection For WNY Woman In 2012 Webster Ambush

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published March 31, 2014 at 6:08 PM EDT

Jury selection is set to begin Wednesday for a woman charged with buying the guns a western New York man used to shoot four suburban Rochester firefighters on Christmas Eve 2012.

Prosecutors say Dawn Nguyen lied on a gun purchase form in 2010 when she claimed the rifle and shotgun she bought were for her, when they were really for ex-convict William Spengler.

On Dec. 24, 2012, Spengler set fire to the home he shared with his sister in Webster, then opened fire on emergency responders when they arrived. Two firefighters were killed and two others were wounded.

Spengler committed suicide after exchanging gunfire with a police officer. His sister's body was found in the burned home.

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Dave Lucas

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.

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