GLASGOW, Scotland, July 25 (UPI) -- Two men were convicted of murder in Scotland Wednesday for setting a fire that killed a father, his college student son and 8-year-old daughter.
Scott Snowden and Robert Jennings face sentencing Thursday at the High Court in Glasgow, the Daily (Glasgow) Record reported. Both were found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
Thomas Sharkey Jr., 21, who was studying accounting at Georgia Southern University on a golf scholarship, and his sister, Bridget, were killed in the fire that destroyed their home in Helensburgh in 2011. Their father, Thomas, died several days later, while their mother, Angela, survived.
Tragically, Bridget had been at a sleepover at a friend's house the night of the fire. But her brother brought her home because she became unhappy there.
Prosecutors said Jennings set the fire while Snowden was in Mexico, acting on his orders.
Witnesses said the two men had a violent history, especially against people who had crossed Snowden. Angela Sharkey said her husband had been planning to reopen the Mariners Pub, which burned down after he renovated it.
Assistant Chief Constable Ruaraidh Nicolson, at a news conference after the verdicts, said the deaths might have been prevented if earlier fires had been linked to Snowden, The (Glasgow) Herald said.
"People were frightened to come forward, there was an element of fear on the street -- until it went too far," he said. "The deaths in particular of Thomas Sharkey Jr. and Bridget were too much."
