No second trial for Exford, the man convicted of murder and arson in Lowville fire, as plea deal has been reached

LOWVILLE- There will be no second trial for Shawn Exford, the man once convicted of murder and arson after starting a fire in the fall of 2019 that killed two people.

As of Tuesday morning, WWNY-TV reports that a plea deal was reached in Lewis County Court, where Exford submitted a guilty plea to a pair of first-degree manslaughter charges.

For those not caught up to speed, Exford was originally tried and convicted in 2022 for the deaths of Saratina Kilbourne and Catherine Crego.

On the other hand, Exford filed an appeal that argued his conviction was based on circumstantial evidence and that the judge apparently failed to instruct the jury as such.

As a result, the New York State Appellate Court ended up siding with Exford and ordered a new trial, which was supposed to begin in June.

Instead, his sentencing is now scheduled for June and reports suggest Exford is expected to serve two concurrent 25-year prison sentences.

Lewis County Courthouse image.