PETER and JOSH PILAO (and father Carmen Pilaro_ - 16 and 12 yo (12/11) - / Convicted: Adopted brother, Michael Pilato - Rochester, NY

Rochester, N.Y. area teen charged with setting fire to home, killing father, 2 brothers 



Cops say teen doused home in gasoline before early morning blaze; mom, sister injured


NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Wednesday, December 7 2011, 3:38 PM



Democrat and Chronicle.com
A 15-year-old boy was charged with setting a fire at his Rochester-area home that killed his adoptive father and two brothers.


An upstate New York teen doused his two-story family home in gasoline and set it on fire early Wednesday morning, killing his adoptive father andtwo adoptive brothers, according to local reports.

Michael Pilato, 15, admitted to police to starting the blaze at his Rochester area home that killed his father, Carmen, 71, and two teen brothers, Peter, 16, and Josh, 12, local television WROC reported.

Pilato's mother, Elaine, 59, and sister, Elizabeth, 13 suffered minor injuries and were being treated a local hospital.

Emergency crews arrived at the Webster home after a neighbor reported seeing fire and smoke at around 1:15 a.m., the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper reported.

Pilato, a sophomore at Webster Schroeder High, fled the scene but was later arrested.

He appeared frail and soft-spoken in Monroe County court on Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges, The Associated Press reported.

He was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation before entering a juvenile detention center.

He's expected to be tried as a juvenile, and could face a sentence of 15 years to life if convicted of murder.

Neighbors said they believed all the Pilato children were adopted.

One told the Chronicle that they were "good, polite kids" who didn't appear to have any problems at home.

"I can't imagine what that poor girl is going through with the father and brothers dead," neighbor James Strassner said. "It's terrible."


http://www.nydailynews.com/authors?author=Philip

ByCrimesider StaffCBS NewsJuly 24, 2013, 2:20 PM

Michael Pilato Update: N.Y. teen convicted of killing his dad and two brothers in fire is sentenced to 15 years to life in prison


Michael Pilato  CBS affiliate WROC


Undated photo Michael Pilato

CBS affiliate WROC

(CBS/AP) WEBSTER, N.Y. - A teenager convicted of setting a fire that killed his father and two brothers inside their western New York home has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Local media outlets report that 16-year-old Michael Pilato was sentenced Wednesday in Monroe County Court in Rochester but didn't comment.

Pilato was convicted last month of second-degree murder, attempted murder, murder by arson and arson. Police say he poured gasoline throughout his Webster home and set it ablaze in December 2011, killing his 71-year-old father, Carmen, and brothers,  16-year-old Peter and 12-year-old Josh.

Pilato's mother and a 13-year-old sister escaped the fire with injuries.

A defense lawyer argued Pilato was experiencing "extreme emotional disturbance" when he set the fire.

District Attorney Sandra Doorley reportedly said the boy's actions were diabolical and there was worry he would kill again if set free.

According to CBS affiliate WROC, Elaine Pilato, Michael's mother, said, "He's a good living son of 15 years who just snapped that night, for which he doesn't need to spend his life in jail. Everyone deserves a second chance. I have a lot of guilt because parents are supposed to save their children."

Elaine supported her son through the trial and says he didn't purposely set the fire.

Monroe County Court Judge Vincent Dinolfo said he would have given the teen a stronger sentence if the law had allowed it, according to WROC.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-pilato-update-ny-teen-convicted-of-killing-his-dad-and-two-brothers-in-fire-is-sentenced-to-15-years-to-life-in-prison/