Friday, March 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
One of three men who stood trial on murder charges in the fire bombing of a family's home -- resulting in the deaths of a teenager and his father -- has resolved his case after seven years.
Joseph Ewish had been convicted of two murder counts and other charges over the 1990 firebombing of the Lopez family house, but the case was sent back to the trial court after a Supreme Court appeal.
The high court was concerned about the fairness of District Judge Jeff Sobel's decision to hold the three trials simultaneously.
Each defendant had his own jury, which heard testimony at the same time as the other two juries. The juries would shuffle in and out as necessary when testimony involving one defendant couldn't legally be heard by the other juries.
Ewish was convicted of the most counts although it was argued that he was borderline mentally retarded and was little more than a driver.
Timothy Webb also was convicted of murder, although acquitted of other counts, and is serving life prison terms.
Then-16-year-old Mitchell Nelson, who witnesses said was the one who threw the Molotov cocktails into the Lopez house, was acquitted by his jury.
In court Thursday, Ewish pleaded guilty to two murder counts and two charges of first-degree arson in a deal that will make him eligible for parole in six years.
Ewish admitted to Sobel that he was the driver in 1990 who transported Nelson and Timothy Webb to the Lopez home at 7101 Hurricane Way in March 1990. Ewish conceded that he knew what was going to happen.
Eppie Lopez, 15, and his father, Jimmy Lopez, died as a result of the blaze that raced through the home.
The attack, witnesses said, was the result of a dispute over a small quantity of marijuana.
archive
