Pittsburg man receives two life sentences

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Morris

The Fort Scott Tribune

Three years to the day after a Pittsburg house fire killed two Pittsburg State University Alumni, the man responsible for the blaze was handed a sentence of no less than 40 years in prison by a Crawford County judge.

Andrew Morris, Pittsburg, stood before Crawford County District Court Judge Donald Noland Wednesday facing three felony charges including two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson.

The charges spawn from a fire set by Morris at the two-story home of Waylon S. Boots, 23, of Colony, and Stephen J. Hayes, 21, of Peculiar, Mo., who died in the fire.

Originally found by Noland to be mentally unfit to face a jury, Morris was evaluated by the Larned State Security Hospital and deemed capable of standing trial in April 2008.

Morris changed his plea of not guilty to no contest Nov. 13, according to Crawford County court records.

Noland showed little mercy with Morris sentencing him to two consecutive life sentences for the murders in addition to a concurrent sentence of 5 1/2 years for the arson charge. The two life sentences running back to back mean Morris will not be eligible for release for at least 40 years. Noland did allow Morris to be credited for time served knocking about 35 months off of his sentence.

Following the sentencing hearing, judge Noland suggested in writing that Morris return to Larned rather than prison.

"The court strongly recommends that the secretary of corrections transfer (the) defendant to the state security hospital to serve his sentence," Noland wrote.