-[pleasant music playing] -[children laughing]
[narrator] It turns out, the new owners are a rather large clan.
-Careful, it's heavy. -Mom, I'm stronger than you.
[narrator] There are eight members of the Huggins-Bogg family.
[Tiarra Braddock] So Angela Boggs and Dennis Huggins
had a very blended family.
Angela came in with two kid
and then they ended up having four of their own.
Their youngest one was 16 months old
and their oldest was around 17.
[narrator] Brittany is the eldest child.
Well, Jered, he's the one who made me a big sister at three.
Um, me and him were close.
Then, my little sister, Daisia came along, she was sassy.
[Durand Huggins] And then, Kylle came after Daisia
I thought to myself,
"He is going to be ladies' man when he gets older."
And after Kylle was Alivia
and Alivia had this real lon beautiful curly hair,
and, you know, hazel green eyes.
And then, baby Cameron he was only around one.
When he would see me or our other brothers,
he would be kinda confused because we all kinda look alike.
[guitar music playing]
[narrator] The entire brood is taken care of by their
electrician turned stay-at-home dad, Dennis.
While mom, Angela, works as a dialysis technician.
Angela was not giving up her job, that's all it boiled down to.
So they made a choice,
Dennis would watch the children, Angela would go to work.
[narrator] Angela and Denni are fun-loving and social parents,
who pride themselves on instilling good values in their children.
Honey, I'm just gonna put him down in our room for a nap, okay?
[Brittany Boggs] Anybody els who would describe my mom
would tell you that she woul give the shirt off her back to somebody.
Which she would. She was a good-hearted person.
Come on, our new house!
[Huggins] My brother, Dennis was very concerned about
what his neighbors thought about him.
We were raised like that, you know.
Any time you're out in public, you're representing yourself and your family.
The Lord says, that if you're a good person,
-that life will treat you well. -[child giggles]
[narrator] One Sunday, after church,
the new neighbors encounter the Fords.
-[Stanley] Oh, don't let us interrupt you. -[Dennis] No worries.
I'm Dennis. This is my wife, Angela.
Hey, man. This is my brother, Durand.
Sorry I'm late, I had to help with the service at Shelton Temple.
Are you Pentecostal?
[Huggins] Dennis and I, we were raised in the church
And church is a part of our, just, being in general.
-You? -Yeah.
-Oh, nice. -Small world.
Stanley grew up in the church just like Dennis did.
[Stanley] Welcome to the neighborhood.
-[Dennis] Thanks. -All right.
[narrator] Stanley is glad to meet a family that reflec his values.
[Braddock] Dennis and Stanle they're both fathers.
They both love their children and would do anything for their kids.
[Huggins] Stanley would hav seen a lot of himself in Dennis, you know.
And that's anybody, you know
You have to get to know your neighbors.
They seemed nice, we should have them over.
Maybe.
[narrator] It could be kindred spirits will now share the street.
You!
[narrator] But that's not all they'll share.
-Beat it, both of you. -Hey!
-[Stanley] In a flame of fire... -Leave us alone!
[Stanley] ...I give vengeance.
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] One night, while Stanley is doing his usual patrol,
his high hopes for his new neighbors are shattered.
[Stephanie Warsmith] Dennis Huggins was known to have sold some marijuana
And that wouldn't have sat well with Stanley Ford
who didn't approve of drinking, or smoking weed or anything like that.
-Are you selling drugs? -No, no. That guy's a friend of mine. For real.
It was only a enough really, I'm telling you, to smoke for free.
That was about all he was selling.
[narrator] But any amount is too much for Stanley.
Guys like you aren't welcome on this street.
[Huggins] To Dennis, Stanley was no threat.
I believe Dennis told him what it was, and that was that.
Maybe even laughed at him.
[chuckles] Dude, mind your own business.
[narrator] For Stanley, another fuse has been lit.
This street is my business.
[Dennis chuckles] You're a crazy old fool.
[Huggins] We heard Stanley Ford say,
"That God told me I'm the angel of this neighborhood."
I think that's just the precursor for him saying,
"If there's anything bad in this neighborhood,
I have the approval from Go to destroy it."
[sirens wailing]
[narrator] Even though months have passed,
Stanley is still fuming from the invasion of Lindell Lewis' friends.
And he refuses to lose contr of his street again.
He has his eye on Dennis Huggins' oldest boy, Jered.
[Huggins] If Stanley Ford ever seen Jered, instantly,
from a distance he would think, "Up to no good", you know?
Because that's how he has to think.
If he sees Jered, he thinks bad.
I mean, that's just an automatic to him.
[Stanley] Hey!
[Troy Looney] There were multiple reports made in the neighborhood,
multiple cars had been damaged or broken into.
Mr. Ford thought that Jered was responsible for damage to cars.
Hey!
I saw you.
He had said to Jered, basically, I know what you did.
I told you, this is my neighborhood.
And that's the exact wrong way to come to somebody like Dennis.
Don't mess with my son, old man!
[Huggins] You're not gonna tell me this is your neighborhood,
when I pay for this house.
[narrator] Now, Stanley monitors both father and son.
[Huggins] Dennis thought, what you don't have the right to do
is to tell other people how they're gonna live.
You don't have the right to be the judge, jury, and executioner
of those issues.
That's what the police are there for.
[narrator] But Stanley sees himself as the law.
One night, he's convinced he catches Jered
and Devonte Sams breaking into a car...
[Stanley] Hey!
[narrator] ...and jumps into action.
[Stanley] Stop!
[Looney] Mr. Ford claimed to observed both young men
conducting some kind of suspicious activity.
[Braddock] He thought that they were up to no good
I think Jered's breaking out car windows,
oh my gosh, they're now together.
What havoc can they wreck on this neighborhood?
[narrator] When Stanley chases Devonte home
he realizes his family lives next door to his friend, Bev Ewing.
Beverly was one of the neighbors who had her car vandalized.
And so, this was concerning to Beverly.
[narrator] Stanley is certai it's not a coincidence.
It's those thieving teens.
[Angela] Tell me what's going on.
[narrator] Yet, Jered tells his mother a different story.
[Jered] I was only looking inside the cars.
I don't break into them.
Well then, who is?
[Huggins] You know, Angela just can't believe
that Jered was busting windows out.
You know, their children represent this house, you represent this family.
You're not getting away with knocking peoples windows out,
it's not happening.
[Daisia] Is Jered in trouble?
No, no, no, no. No, darling.
It's bedtime.
Say your prayers.
[narrator] Stanley's accusations
aren't the only thing disturbing Angela.
The investigation into the Lindell Lewis house fire
has closed without an arrest
Leaving the neighborhood afraid there's an arsonist on the loose.
You try to come up with something in your mind
to understand the reasoning
behind what happened.
But, you can't.
And it just seems unreal that somebody would take it that far.
[narrator] Angela is terrifi of fire because of her ex, Patrick Boggs.
Whom she is still, technically, married to.
My Dad did a lot of mean things to her.
[crying] No. Please, don't!
[Boggs] He was in jail when I was first born,
because he threw her in the bathtub with kerosene
[Angela screaming and crying]
Tried to light her on fire.
[Angela] No!
[narrator] Patrick Boggs spent 12 years in prison for domestic violence.
And was recently released on parole.
I'm sure Angela had a healthy fear of Patrick Boggs.
Um, and rightfully so.
[narrator] Each day Angela's fear grows,
as rumors spread about who the arsonist might be.
I know who broke into your car.
[narrator] Meanwhile, Stanley is determined to cat the young criminals.
That punk next door.
[narrator] And corrals Bev Ewing to join him
in confronting Devonte's father, Anthony Sams.
[Stanley] Mind if we talk to your kid?
You the dude who followed him?
It's about my car window, I was wondering if--
What do you want from us, huh?
And Anthony didn't really take it well.
He might have been slightly intoxicated.
And was yelling, and was putting his arms up.
Do not mess with me. Now beat it, both of you. Go.
-[Braddock] And she felt frightening which... -Beat it!
...most people probably woul if you have someone belligerently yelling at you
Be careful, the guy's got a record for assault.
And selling drugs.
[narrator] Chester Williams tries to convince his neighbors to back down.
[Stanley] I'm done with them.
[Beverly] Drop it, please. I don't want any trouble.
You don't have to worry.
Stanley wants to protect his neighbors, because he thinks that's his job.
To them who know not God...
[Braddock] He thinks God sent him here...
...and who not obey the gospel.
...to do exactly that.
In a flame of fire I give vengeance.
[Braddock] This is a neighborhood that you should feel safe
because there's families her there's older people here,
it shouldn't feel like a place where I can't send my child outside.
[narrator] But sending his kids outside
is exactly what Stanley is afraid of.
Especially after attending church.
-[upbeat music playing] -[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] Stanley's family and Dennis' family celebrate differently.
[Huggins] Stanley didn't le people to come to his house
Which is the exact opposite of somebody like Dennis.
[Todd Webb] Stanley Ford kept his family intact and quiet.
And the Boggs-Huggins family they liked to socialize.
[Zaneda] Ooh.
[Huggins] Stanley would see different people coming in and out of Dennis' house.
We have nephews, a lot of younger guys, like, in their 20s.
And I know every Sunday we would all meet up at Dennis' house,
you know, music playing, barbecuing, eat all you want
You know, enjoy yourself.
And I can imagine somebody like Stanley seeing this.
And you can perceive things from a very bad way,
if you're already thinking something bad, you know.
And you think to yourself, "Oh, they're not gonna mess up my neighborhood."
Who's your friend, Mr. Weirdo?
They would be, kind of, scratching their heads.
Like, you know, why is this guy staring?
And why doesn't he mind his own business, kinda thing.
He's so weird.
[narrator] For Stanley, the Huggins-Boggs
are no better than Lindell Lewis' friends.
-[woman] Been a while. -Yes, indeed. [laughing]
You wanna come party in the van, Stan?
[Warsmith] Where before, his attention was directed across the street at Lindell
now his focus is on the Huggins-Boggs family.
[man] All right, yo, let me see.
[Huggins] You know, so he would perceive things that just weren't true.
"Are they selling drugs?
Are they doing... What are they doing over there?"
And I think he just had a misconception.
Get away from her! Don't you ever come near her!
What are you doing? What's wrong with you?
This kid does drugs.
-Stanley. -I don't want him near her!
[Huggins] Stanley Ford's wif told him to leave it alone.
But he just couldn't do it, he didn't want to.
Hey! I thought I told you, don't mess with me son?
-Then stop selling drugs! -Are you crazy?
There are no drugs. Leave us alone!
He wanted to be the one that fixed, what he thought, was a problem.
Stanley, enough.
Now!
[Boggs] I personally feel li Stanley wanted to be the onl person in the neighborhood.
Like, he did not want neighbors.
He did not want anybody around him.
He wanted that whole little section to himself.
What did we do wrong?
[Huggins] He just judged from a distance.
And he decided that these were bad people and that was that.
[narrator] The Huggins-Bogg feared Stanley's delusions could escalate.
And, possible, turn dangerou
[Warsmith] Their children are being accused
of doing these things in the neighborhood,
but Stanley never actually went and talked to either of them
about the concerns that he had.
[narrator] Still, he's seen enough to know
that his new neighbors are a major threat.
The two sides of Mr. Ford, kind ok like a Jekyll and Hyde I guess analogy.
When his perception takes the darker side,
he's very dangerous at that point in time.
That is a reason to have fea obviously, by the neighbors
[narrator] Each day, Stanley becomes increasingly convinced
the juvenile behavior is actually punishable crime
You!
Devonte had cut through his property, he also said that,
Devonte had looked in his windows,
and was messing with his property.
-What do you want? -Nothing.
[Stanley] You were trying to break in.
I don't wanna see you around here again.
Stanley Ford had warned him that he needed to stop cutting across his grass.
And, I believe, an argument occurred between the two.
You won't see me, you'll be sleeping.
He also said, that Devonte had been confrontational.
You think this is funny?
Better watch your back, old man.
[Warsmith] He is talking to this young man
and telling him to knock off whatever he thinks he's doing wrong,
and isn't getting the response that he wants.
Listen, I will body you.
[Serena Jones] They say they gonna body you,
that means put you in a body bag.
Having anybody say that to you...
is a threat on your life.
You definitely have to think about a person's mental status if they saying that to a kid.
[narrator] As word spreads of Stanley's latest threat, the street goes quiet.
-[sirens wailing] -Until another blaze rages in Sherbondy Hill.
[Jones] We heard firetrucks
And then, you can hear the sirens from the police car.
And just smoke, something burning.
[narrator] Someone has set the Sams' family car on fire
[Warsmith] The vehicle fire was also an arson.
They knew, because there wa a rag that was put into the gas container.
[Webb] It put the neighborho on high alert once again,
that, you know, we have someone in the neighborhood setting cars on fire.
[narrator] It's been less than a year
since both Lindell Lewis' va and house were set alight.
[Looney] When the fire department was putting out the car fire
Mr. Ford was standing in the middle of the street, kinda, looking down watching.
Devonte thought that was very eerie.
[narrator] And this time, Stanley's old nemesis
won't let him get away with it.
After Lindell's house burnt down,
suspect Thomas Hugley stayed in the neighborhood.
They say he moved in with another old friend of his,
somewhere on that side of town.
[narrator] Thomas remains convinced Stanley is the arsonist...
[Thomas] You think you're good at this, don't you?
[narrator] ...and confront h before he strikes again.
-The car you torched last night. -I had nothing to do with it.
You're lying.
Be very careful.
[Jones] I don't believe there was any fear there.
From what I seen
didn't stop him from doing anything.
[Webb] The neighborhood was on high alert, looking out for one and other.
And wondering why this thing was occurring on their vehicles,
and who was responsible for doing it.
[narrator] At the height of the neighborhood tension
Dennis and Angela take their kids on a trip.
[Boggs] Dennis' mom and grandma had moved down to Florida.
And, basically, my mom and them made a vacation of it,
you know, basically just go down there and see how it is.
[narrator] When they return home the parents have news for their children
What do you guys wanna think about a big move?
-Yeah. -What if we moved down to Florida?
-At least we'll get away from Stanley. -Mmm.
That dude is a firebug.
[Webb] There were rumors going around that Stanley Fo
is the one responsible for this vehicle fire.
There wasn't any proof of th at that time.
It would make anyone,
specifically the Boggs family Huggins family,
very uncomfortable.
[Angela] Okay, let's vote. All in favor?
[all cheering]
[narrator] Dennis and Angel are eager to leave
Sherbondy Hill as soon as possible.
Angela had already been approved to get a job down in Florida.
-Guess we're moving to Florida. -[all cheering]
[Braddock] I think they wanted to be able to live comfortably.
And, when you are constantly being harassed, you don't want that.
And you wanna move, you wanna go somewhere else.
[narrator] But Stanley Ford is completely unaware of hi neighbor's upcoming move.
And his recent run-ins with Devonte Sams...
I will body you.
...and Thomas Hugley...
Be very careful.
...have left him fuming.
[Webb] The neighbors were all on edge.
And, you know, just the neighborhood was on lookout and at high alert.
[narrator] Down the street, the future is bright for the Huggins-Boggs family.
Done.
[Huggins] Dennis put the home for sale.
Fingers crossed.
[narrator] That night, Angela reveals another big decision,
one she's been too afraid to make until now
I think I'm finally gonna ask Patrick for that divorce.
Well good. I thought you were afraid to poke the bear?
No.
We're moving out of state.
It's time.
[Huggins] I'm sure Angela kn that if Patrick Boggs
were to try to approach her
Dennis could, at least, fend him off long enough for them to call the police
Or, just deal with him. Period.
[narrator] With Dennis and Angela caught up in their plans
they're unaware that Stanley Ford's anger
has evolved into uncontrollable rage.
And at that point he let go.
I'm done playing, this is no longer a game.
[narrator] Stanley has tried his best to protec the neighborhood he loves.
Now, he's a tinderbox waiting for a spark.
On Mother's Day,
the Huggins-Boggs family throw a party for Angela.
[Boggs] Jered stayed the nig at my house.
So, we go to church.
I mean, literally, the whole way home
he was ranting and raving
about Dennis is gonna teach him how to barbecue.
Whoa, not in those clothes your not.
Get inside and go get changed.
What's good.
You're about to get the best ribs...
[narrator] Stanley's not pleased
with the festivities spilling onto the street.
It looks like they...
[narrator] But there's a bigger issue at hand.
...just broke the window.
[Jones] There was a car closer to Stanley's house that had been vandalized,
or broken into.
You know who did this?
They did this.
[Webb] He believed that they were the cause of everything that was,
you know, going on wrong in the neighborhood at that particular time.
Police won't do a thing.
-So I'm gonna fix this. -Look man,
there setting fires around here too.
So I don't want no trouble.
You've lived here as long as I have, you don't gotta sweat it.
Mr. Ford said, you're fine, you don't bother anybody
you have nothing to worry about.
He wanted to reassure that neighbor, I like you.
You should be in the neighborhood.
So, your stuff is fine, you family's going to be fine.
Well, he wanted to make sur the people who he didn't lik in the neighborhood were gon
Even if that meant gone for good.
[narrator] That night, Stanley can't sleep
while the Huggins-Boggs fami parties on.
-[party music playing faintly] -[indistinct conversations]
[Boggs] So I could see him, like, talking to himself, you know.
Like, "There they go again, all those people
going in and out of that house.
There's nothing good going on over there."
You know, I could see him just allowing it to fester and stew.
It had to be about maybe 12:00 - 1:00 o'clock
before people's parties started clearing out.
[narrator] Finally, all is quiet in the Huggins-Boggs house.
But, not for long.
[crackling]
[coughs] Hun!
Hun, something's burning.
-[Angela coughing] -Call 911, I'll get the kids.
Girls, come on, wake up. Wake up, we gotta go. There's a fire, come on.
Come on. Come on, wake up. We gotta go, now!
[narrator] For reasons that remain unclear
Angela's call does not get through.
[Webb] She tried to call 91 to report the fire,
not only once, but twice,
to no avail.
[Dennis] Girls, come on, we need to go there's a fire. Let's go, come on.
-Come on. Come on, let's go. -[Cameron crying]
There's a fire, we gotta go now, come on.
It's okay. It's okay, it's okay.
-It's okay. -[Angela] Where's his sneakers?
[narrator] The fire has already engulfed the main floor.
[Dennis] Help!
[everyone screaming] Help!
[Dennis] We gotta go back up.
[narrator] So Dennis ushers his family back upstairs,
hoping they can escape out a window.
[Dennis] It's okay, it's okay, it's okay.
I got you.
[narrator] But they can't.
[Dennis] Can anybody hear? Help!
[narrator] The neighborhood slowly wakes to the horror.
-[Dennis] Help! -[Angela] Help!
-[children screaming] -[Dennis] Help!
-[Angela] Help!
There's a fire. Please, someone! Someone help!
-[children crying] -[Angela] It's okay.
My neighbor's house is burning down.
[narrator] Zaneda Ford is one of many residents desperately calling 911.
[voice shaking] Everything is burning.
She was a wife, and a mother, and a neighbor.
Um, who was obviously concerned
about people potentially being harmed.
-[sirens wailing] -[narrator] Ten minutes int the blaze a firetruck arrive
[Jones] At that point, it was just, like, "Let's se if they can get somebody out
There was kids in there.
Anybody that has empathy, when it comes to children,
you don't even consider your own life.
-[Cameron crying] -[Dennis] It's okay. It's okay.
[Angela] It's okay, it's okay.
Help!
There are children here, please!
[narrator] Then, catastrophe
Since the last fire on the street
the nearest hydrant has broken.
[Jones] I remember them saying, "Charge", and no water came through.
[Webb] It's nothing that yo ever want to experience as a firefighter.
Going through your mind it's just like, "What do I do next?"
[Jones] And they had to go around two blocks to get another fire hydrant.
In the meanwhile, you're just thinking, "I pray somebody made it out."
[narrator] When water is finally available
firefighters can't enter the burning house.
The flames are too hot.
Seven of the eight members of the Huggins-Boggs family perish from smoke inhalation
Brittany Boggs is out of town working
when she gets the call that will change the rest of her life.
[Boggs] I just dropped down to my knees and started screaming.
All I kept saying is, no, no, no.
Like, they can't be. I just talked to them.
And I was just hoping that somebody was playing a sick joke on me.
[narrator] When firefighter finally enter the house
they discover a heartbreaking scene.
[Webb] It was very apparent in the positions of these bodies
that Dennis Huggins
and Angela Boggs, in their final moments,
had tried to protect their children.
[Boggs] And I'm like, looking at the fire on the news
not even noticing that it was Fultz Avenue and that was Dennis' street.
And then, come to find out, that that was out brother's home that was on fire
and everyone had perished.
It was...
It was really messed up. You know what I mean? It was really messed up.
[Jones] I've never, in my life,
felt so defeated.
There's nothing, nothing you can do
but sit there and watch.
[voice shaking] As they bring all these lifeless bodies out.
Then they brought them kids out...
[sniffles]
one of the body bags was so little.
It was so little.
Youngest baby was only one.
[exhales]
[narrator] This is the deadliest fire in Akron, Ohio's history.
Investigators immediately seek out suspects.
Beginning with Brittany's biological father, Patrick Boggs.
We learned that Patrick Boggs had done prison time
for attempting to set Angela Boggs on fire.
That immediately drew a red flag of maybe he coul have done this too.
[narrator] Police catch him on a parole violation
and place him in Portage County jail.
While incarcerated, Patrick confesses
the unthinkable to a cell mate,
he started the blaze.
[Webb] There were allegation of him not liking the relationship,
not liking her new spouse, Dennis Huggins.
[narrator] Patrick claims he placed the hot coals from the barbecue
at Angela's party into a garbage can by the house.
[Webb] He had that much dislike for Angela Boggs and their situation
that he wanted to try and take credit for it.
Search warrants were initiated and conducted on his residence,
his vehicle, cell phone devices,
video surveillance, and so forth.
But we were able to determine that charcoal was not how the fire was set
State fire marshals identified accelerants were actually used,
whereas charcoal has a different burning pattern
and it actually ignites in a different manner.
[Warsmith] Someone set the house on fire
by using accelerants to spray on the house.
So he could not have been the one who actually
set the fire at the Huggins-Boggs house.
[narrator] Police work day and night to find the perso responsible for this massacr
It's beyond me to even fathom something like that.
Why would an individual commit such a heinous crime
[Huggins] It wasn't a simple house fire.
This was a fire that was intentionally set to trap them
to not be able to get out.
-[Cameron crying] -Help!
How is that possible, you know what I'm saying?
There's gotta be something else to it if they all passed away.
[narrator] A vigil for the Huggins-Boggs famil
draws the whole community together.
[Jones] It was just almost like I said,
this is crazy, two in one neighborhood.
I said, "It's only been a year since the last one."
[narrator] Brittany is overcome with emotion
when she has a surprise encounter.
[Boggs] Stanley Ford hugged me and said,
"I'm so sorry this happened to you
-I don't see..." -...who'd be sick enough to do this.
[Boggs] Those were his exact words to me.
But this was the first time I ever encountered Stanley Ford,
like, beside just seeing him walk up and down the street.
And he then said, "I hope they find..."
...who did this and they rot in hell.
[Boggs] He was just so compassionate.
And, you know, sweet at the vigil.
[narrator] While the communi grieves, a manhunt is underway
to catch the arsonist terrorizing Sherbondy Hill.
As we are processing this fire scene,
we did, again, notice that this fire,
similar to the other fire, started from the exterior.
And there was no way that was coincidental.
We went, immediately, into investigative mode.
[Chester] It's all on here.
[Webb] Going directly back to Chester Williams' home.
He still had his cameras installed.
They were still working and functioning.
[narrator] When investigator review footage from the night of the arson
the case takes a stunning turn.
A man is seen walking toward and later running from the Huggins-Boggs fire.
And he is virtually identica
to the man seen in the footage from the fir at Lindell Lewis' home.
[Webb] The walk, the gait, the build of the individual
and the activities which were going on were very similar.
It was like, this is the same person
who did the first fire did the second fire.
[narrator] In both arsons
the same man is seen heading towards Stanley Ford's house.
We had spoken to everybody on the street
except for Mr. Ford and his wife.
So on the night of the fire, were you at home?
[narrator] Detective Troy Looney,
who also worked the Lindell Lewis case,
interviews the Fords.
The fire woke me up.
-Were you awake? -No.
I was asleep.
[Looney] He, again, was very standoffish.
Not cooperative.
She woke me up.
[Looney] So immediately I noticed his wife looked at him surprisingly,
like, that's not the case.
So for myself, that's stood out as a red flag
and we knew there was more we had to look into.
I guess you missed it.
Guess I did.
[Looney] We wanted Mr. Ford to come downtown to talk with him about the case,
present some other facts and information, he refused to do so.
[officer] We're just county coordinates.
[narrator] As investigators zero in on Stanley Ford
they begin monitoring his every move.
Even secretly recording video of him walking.
They compare it to the uneven gait of the suspect
as seen in neighbor's security videos.
[Webb] You can see the individual walking away
and he has a very specific walk and a gait.
The images between Stanley Ford and that perso in that video
were very, very similar.
To where I was thoroughly convinced
that it was Stanley Ford who committed that fire.
[narrator] Three days after the blaze,
investigators secure search warrants for both of Stanley Ford's properties
We seized multiple items during the search warrant of interest.
And we did obtain some lighter fluid that was at the house,
that Mr. Ford stated he didn't even own.
[narrator] Then, Detective Looney makes a huge discovery.
The alarm system, Stanley installed in his mother's old house,
has a digital record of every time it's armed or disarmed.
Incredibly, the alarm record go back to the night
Lindell Lewis' house burned down, just over a year ago.
Obviously, we definitively identified Mr. Ford as arming, disarming the panel
during the exact times of the arson.
[narrator] The records also reveal that on the nigh of the Huggins-Boggs fire
the security system was disarmed at 2:27 a.m.
Minutes later, a suspicious figure approached the house.
Police are now convinced they have finally caught a mass murderer.
Everything came together with a timeline,
which is crucial in identifying who's responsible,
and that was Mr. Stanley Ford.
[narrator] Police charge Stanley with both house fires,
and the torching of the Sams' family car.
[Warsmith] This man is accused of killing nine of his neighbors.
Which is more people than had ever been murdered by one person
in the history of Summit County.
[Looney] Just have a seat over there,
just put your boots and your jacket right there.
[narrator] Detective Looney and another officer
push Stanley to admit that he was the man
seen walking towards the Huggins-Boggs house just before it was set aligh
[Looney] My feelings were, first establish a rapport,
we just had a conversation,
I treated it as a conversation.
But I did want to know,
okay, so we know you weren't sleeping Mr. Ford,
why were you outside?
[Looney] I don't know why I was down there at the time of the fire.
And, ultimately, I wanted the jury to hear
our direct interview with Mr. Ford to see his behavior.
[Looney] The dodging of answers.
The direct lies.
They feel like they have a strong enough case
that now, we have our guy, we can take him to trial.
[narrator] After four years of delays,
in part due to COVID concern
Stanley Ford finally stand trial in August of 2021.
In order for a fair trial to occur you have to do without emotion.
It's hard to do, it's almost inhuman to do.
Based on the fact that there are nine deaths,
that's a result of this nightmare.
[Joe Dangelo] Ladies and gentlemen, the evidence will show you
that when the defendant gets angry with his neighbors
he sets their property on fire and he kills them.
And at the conclusion of this case
Mr. LoPrinzi and I are gonna ask you
to find the defendant guilty.
[narrator] A state fire marshal leads jurors
through a minute-by-minute explanation of events on the nights of both arsons
[Dangelo] Slide 80, can you tell the jury what you're noting here.
[Brad Barkhurst] 2:38 a.m., individual moving frame right.
[Warsmith] And he linked all of these different recor
and showed, you know, that at this time, you know,
the man is seen going up the street.
And, at this time, a light goes off at Stanley Ford's house.
[Barkhurst] 2:40 a.m., individual running frame left.
Camera 2, 2:43 a.m., panel armed 'stay'.
Attempted 911 call from Angela Boggs from 2:43:42 a.m.
Seeing all that linked up by this expert was really, really important testimony.
[Braddock] And, I think, the biggest thing
for the prosecution was the motive, he disliked both families.
So he had a big motive to kill both those families.
[Dangelo] You aimed camera number 4 at Lindell Lewis' house,
can you tell the jury why you did that?
[Dangelo] Why were you concerned he may get hurt?
[Dangelo] He would what?
[narrator] Over four years after the deaths of Lindell Lewis,
Gloria Hart, and the Huggins-Boggs famil
Stanley Ford is found guilt
and sentenced to nine consecutive life sentences without parole.
And another 21 years for the attempted murder of Thomas Hugley,
who escaped the first fire.
You know, I've lived with this case for four and a half years
and I still struggle, I cannot come up with the words.
The compassion that the Huggins' family has shown you
that you refused to show your neighbors.
Is if you showed them half of that,
they would still be alive today.
You may have gotten to know them.
You may have found that you liked them.
But you chose to take it into your own hands.
You chose to seek revenge and not live by The Bible.
You had an opportunity to talk, you're done.
If you wanted them out of the neighborhood
you could have proceeded a lot differently.
[Looney] Is there ever a perfect investigation?
There's never everything that was done perfectly,
but I'm happy that we're able to get justice for the families.
[narrator] Nearly half a decade after Stanley Ford killed his father
Jordan Lewis finally has closure.
[Jordan Lewis] Stanley wasn' a remorseful person.
He still tried to say it wasn't him.
And he didn't know what they was talking about.
I was just relieved, you know.
They finally had evidence, you know.
Real, real evidence.
[Webb] The loss of life is bad.
But for that individual to have done it once,
but to come back and do it again,
this is no comparison to any case
that I've personally worked on.
This is the worst.
[narrator] Brittany Boggs is her family's sole survivo
That it is, definitely, messed me up mentally.
It's given me, like, bad trust issues with people.
I've got bad anxiety now.
It's a whole lot of issues that...
That happened with them dying.
And I still don't forgive myself
for the fact that I hugged the man that killed my family.
That's still something that
haunts me every day.
[narrator] In an extraordina act of grace,
the Huggins family forgives Stanley.
Even offering him love at his sentencing.
[Huggins] For me to move on as a Christian, I forgive him.
I thank God for our religious background our bringing up.
Just being able to hold on to our faith.
And I'm not saying I didn't take a downward spiral,
because I did.
This all happened... This is seven people.
My family died in one day.
Seven people in one day.
So that will take you on a type of...
rollercoaster that you'd never been on in your life.
[narrator] Today, the community of Sherbondy Hill
struggles to regain their faith.
That good will prevail over evil,
as they walk past the plots of land
where their neighbors once lived.
[Huggins] These people were loved, you know.
These are people who people cared about.
How dare you make a decision
to end somebody and we never...
You know, a sneak attack.
A total sneak attack. You know what I mean?
How dare you.
And just in case anybody else out there has a neighbor,
who they're judging
and they never took a chance to get to talk to,
take a chance and talk to them,
before you make a decision on what you think their life is.