William H. Spengler Jr. was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in 1981 for beating his 92-year-old grandmother Rose Spengler to death
(NEWSER) – Police have identified the man who this morning fatally shot two firefighters responding to the blaze he set in his own house as 62-year-old William H. Spengler Jr., reports the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Spengler was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in 1981 for beating his 92-year-old grandmother Rose Spengler to death with a hammer; he served 17 years in prison and had an "uneventful" parole that ended in 2006.
Rose Spengler was killed in the house next-door to the house where firefighters were responding today. Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said that because Spengler was a convicted felon, he couldn't legally own guns; Pickering said investigators found "several different types of weapons, including a rifle used on first responders." He added that mental health issues were probably involved.
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