State v. Payne

TROUT, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from a ruling by the district judge, denying a motion for acquittal filed by appellant John Lee Payne (Payne) after a jury convicted him of two counts of aggravated first degree arson.

I

BACKGROUND

Payne lived alone in a rented room in the Greystone Hotel (Hotel) in Nampa, Idaho. A fire occurred in the Hotel on April 11,1998 and, upon investigation, it was discovered the fire originated in a common bathroom on the second floor. Payne was taken to the police station after the fire, where he admitted starting the fire by igniting a roll of toilet paper in the…