A 15-year-old boy was charged with setting a fire at his Rochester-area home that killed his adoptive father and two brothers.
- New York teen doused his two - story family home in gasoline and set it on fire early Wednesday morning, killing his adoptive father and two adoptive brothers, according to local reports.
Michael Pilato, 15, admitted to police to starting the blaze at his Rochester area home that killed his father, Carmen, 71, and two teen brothers, Peter, 16, and Josh, 12, local television WROC reported.
Pilato's mother, Elaine, 59, and sister, Elizabeth, 13 suffered minor injuries and were being treated a local hospital.
Emergency crews arrived at the Webster home after a neighbor reported seeing fire and smoke at around 1:15 a.m. Pilato, a sophomore at Webster Schroeder High, fled the scene but was later arrested.
He appeared frail and soft-spoken in Monroe County court on Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges, The Associated Press reported.
He was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation before entering a juvenile detention center.
He's expected to be tried as a juvenile, and could face a sentence of 15 years to life if convicted of murder.
Neighbors said they believed all the Pilato children were adopted.
One told the Chronicle that they were "good, polite kids" who didn't appear to have any problems at home.
"I can't imagine what that poor girl is going through with the father and brothers dead," neighbor James Strassner said. "It's terrible."
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