A woman, Khala Swasey, who pleaded no contest to murder charges in relation to a tragic fire at a boarding house in Exposition Park, resulting in the deaths of two individuals, has been sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison.
Khala Swasey, currently 28 years old, entered a no contest plea in June for two counts of second-degree murder. The victims, George Hills (66) and Yolanda McGruder (53), tragically lost their lives on August 22, 2019.
According to Los Angeles Police Department Captain William Hayes in August 2019, Swasey was frustrated after being locked out of the residence and not allowed back in.
Upon arriving at the boarding house at approximately 12:45 a.m., firefighters discovered the building consumed by flames. Reports indicated that individuals were still inside the burning structure, as stated by Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
A search team located one person in critical condition within the home and found a second person in a similar state near the rear exit. Unfortunately, both victims, who had been at the location earlier, passed away later that day at a hospital.
During the rescue operation, a Los Angeles Fire Department engineer involved suffered minor smoke inhalation and received medical treatment as a precaution.
Swasey was apprehended by the Los Angeles police five days after the fatal blaze and has been in custody ever since.
The murder charges against Swasey included special circumstances of multiple murders and murder during the commission of an arson, which carried a potential life sentence without the chance of parole. However, these allegations were dismissed as a result of her plea.
On Wednesday, she was sentenced in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.
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