State v. Parmalee

The defendant, Thomas Parmalee, was convicted by a jury of second degree arson in violation of General Statutes (Rev. to 1981) § 53a-112.1 At the time of the offense the statute provided that a person is guilty of second degree arson when he starts a fire “(1) [wjith intent to destroy or damage a building ... to collect insurance for such loss; and (2) such act subjects another person to a substantial risk of bodily injury or another building to a substantial risk of destruction or damage.” General Statutes § 53a-112 (a). At trial, the state introduced evidence that the fire started by the…