Mistrial Declared in Baltimore Fire Case That Killed Three Firefighters

A Baltimore judge declared a mistrial on Tuesday after jurors said they could not reach a unanimous verdict on any of the charges against James Barnett, the man accused of setting a fire in a vacant rowhome that killed three Baltimore firefighters in 2022.

Circuit Judge Alan Lazerow declared the mistrial after the jury had deliberated for about four and a half days, The Baltimore Banner reported. Barnett, 58, of West Baltimore, stood trial on nine counts: one count of second degree arson, three counts of involuntary manslaughter and five counts of reckless endangerment.

The murder counts were thrown out first

Before closing arguments, Lazerow threw out the most serious charges in the case, three counts of second degree murder, after finding that prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to support them, the Banner reported. The arson, manslaughter and reckless endangerment counts went to the jury.

Prosecutors built their case on city surveillance footage and federal fire testing. They said video showed a person entering the vacant rowhome and four flashes of flame, according to reporting on the trial. The defense argued that the person in the video was not Barnett and pointed to differences in the coat seen on camera.

The fire on Stricker Street

The fire broke out at 205 South Stricker Street shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2022, in a vacant rowhome. The building collapsed, and Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler and EMT and firefighter Kenny Lacayo were killed on Jan. 24, 2022. A fourth firefighter was seriously injured. Three other firefighters were hurt and residents of neighboring homes were displaced, and the reckless endangerment counts covered them as well.

Barnett was charged in November 2025, nearly four years after the fire.

Two deadlock notes

Jurors first told the judge on Friday, Oct. 16, that they were split, and he instructed them to keep deliberating. On Tuesday they sent a second note. "We reviewed the evidence again and we remain split. We are unable to reach a unanimous decision based on the evidence presented," the jurors wrote, according to WBAL reporting cited by Firehouse.

Families left without a verdict

State's Attorney Ivan Bates called the outcome deeply disappointing for the families of Butrim, Sadler and Lacayo. "While this is not the outcome we sought, our commitment to these families and to pursuing justice has not changed," Bates said in a statement. He said he will consider whether to try the case again.

Outside the courthouse, Sadler's sister, Lacey Marino, said she felt better after speaking with some of the jurors. "We are just going to keep fighting for Kelsey, Paul and Kenny," she said, according to the Banner. "This is about them."

The mistrial leaves the case unresolved. The next step sits with the State's Attorney's office, which must decide whether to bring Barnett to trial a second time.