BEVERLY — A jury has cleared a Beverly man of charges that he burned down a rental property he owned in Groveland five years ago.
Anthony Lanzillo, 42, was found not guilty of the arson charge by a Salem Superior Court jury, following a two-week trial and more than 10 hours of deliberations late Wednesday afternoon.
"I think he was relieved," said Lanzillo's lawyer, public defender Lynette Leos. "It was a cloud hanging over his head since 2006."
Three months before the December 2006 fire, the home had been raided by town and animal welfare officials who had learned it was being used as a "puppy mill," an inhumane dog breeding operation, by Lanzillo's tenants.
A total of 32 animals — 28 dachshunds, two cats, a ferret and an iguana — had been rescued from the home the prior September, and the home, littered with animal waste and other debris, was deemed unfit for human habitation.
Leos suggested that Lanzillo had spent time and money to clean up the place and obtain a new occupancy permit and questioned why her client would want to undo all of that effort by burning it down, especially since he owed more money on the mortgage than he would have been paid in insurance.
Prosecutor John Brennan had tried to convince jurors that Lanzillo was the only person with a motive and introduced evidence that a neighbor saw him going in and out of the house in the hour before the fire.
Investigators found traces of gasoline in the home.
At one point during the deliberations, jurors asked Judge Timothy Feeley to define the term "dwelling house," part of the language in the statute under which Lanzillo was charged.
Leos said that despite the acquittal, the allegations "wrecked his life," pointing to Lanzillo's broken marriage and the loss of both of his properties.
Courts reporter Julie Manganis may be reached at 978-338-2521 or jmanganis@salemnews.com.
Raw Video: Hail Storm Batters Oklahoma City
California's Foie Gras Ban About to Begin
6-Year-Old Going to National Spelling Bee
Video Essay: Funky Winkerbean Comic Turns 40
On Thailand Trip, Suu Kyi Visits Migrants
Raw Video: Pink Diamond Auctioned for $17.4M
Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 20 Years Later
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
