Ex-Fire Captain May Be Linked to More Arsons, Prosecutors Say

Prosecutors in the murder trial of a former Glendale fire captain, a convicted arsonist, are trying to link him to two fires at Pasadena supermarkets in 1984 in addition to the fire involved in the alleged murders.

Former arson investigator John L. Orr is serving a 30-year federal prison term after being convicted in 1995 on six counts of arson--five of which were for fires set while Orr attended two arson investigators' conventions in Central California.

He also faces a state trial on four murder counts for a 1984 arson fire at Ole's Home Center in Pasadena, the subject of a pretrial hearing Monday. Orr could face the death penalty if convicted.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Cabral requested permission to include evidence from two other fires that occurred at supermarkets the same day--Oct. 10, 1984--as the Ole's fire.