Lawyers ask judge to toss out statement client made after Pa. fire killed WWII camp survivor

Lawyers ask judge to toss statement about Pa. fire

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — Attorneys for a man accused of setting a fire that killed an elderly woman in an arson-plagued Pennsylvania town are asking a judge to toss out a videotaped statement he made.

George Donkewicz (DOHN’-kuh-witz) is charged with murder and arson in the December 2008 fire in Coatesville, a struggling steel town of 11,000 residents near Philadelphia. The fire killed 83-year-old Irene Kempest, who during World War II was imprisoned in a German work camp.

Donkewicz’s attorneys argue mental infirmity prevented him from understanding the charges when police questioned him. They also want the trial moved or a jury brought in from another county due to publicity. A hearing is scheduled next month.

Donkewicz also faces charges in five other fires in Coatesville, which was hit by dozens of arsons between 2007 and 2009. Two men have pleaded guilty to some of the blazes.

Information from: Daily Local News, www.dailylocal.com