A Riverside County judge has ruled that prosecutors can't tell jurors that the defendant in the Esperanza Fire murder and arson case is linked to twice as many blazes as he is charged with setting.
Prosecutors say Raymond Lee Oyler set 23 blazes, including one in October 2006 that killed five firefighters who were defending a home near Twin Pines.
Oyler pleaded not guilty to 45 counts, including arson and murder. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
A prosecutor argued that telling jurors about the 23 additional fires is important to establish him as a serial arsonist.
But the judge said the jury would hear about only two of those additional fires.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
