Khojayan Invited to Speak on KUSI



May 20, 2005 -- In October 2003, Sergio Martinez, 34, of West Covina found himself lost while on a hunting trip at Cedar National Forest when he set a signal fire to help rescuers find him. The Cedar Fire killed 15 people, burned 2,200-plus homes and did $400 million in damage.

Shaun Khojayan, a Former Federal Defender, was invited to appear on KUSI channel 8 to explain Mr. Martinez's potential sentence. Mr. Khojayan explained Martinez was being charged with two counts: making false statements and intentionally setting a fire on government property. "Martinez did not intentionally start the fire to hurt anyone," stated Mr. Khojayan. Mr. Khojayan discussed why it would not be fair for Martinez to be punished for the deaths and millions of dollars in property damage. The lives lost in the Cedar Fire were not reasonably foreseeable and therefore the mens rea element of committing a crime such as murder could not be met. When asked what the sentence would be, Mr. Khojayan replied that the sentence depended on his criminal history and if he had none, it would be much lower than the statutory maximum. Ultimately, Mr. Khojayan felt that the Honorable Judge Roger Benitez would hand down a sentence that was fair and considered all that was reasonably foreseeable.





Khojayan Invited to Speak on KUSI