Monday, October 26, 2009

[Greeneville, Tenn] -On Thursday, October 23, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville, a jury returned a guilty verdict against Lillian Denise Fanney (35), of Morristown on one count of arson of the South Cumberland Shopping Center in Morristown.

Fanney was released pending her sentencing set for February 22, 2009, in United States District Court, Greeneville, Tennessee, before the Honorable Ronnie Greer, United States District Judge.

The South Cumberland Shopping Center was destroyed by means of fire on or about February 25, 2004. At the time of the fire, the shopping center housed five different business: Dollar General, Auto Zone, Subway, Movie Depot and a Dry Goods store. The Morristown Fire Department responded to the scene and battled the blaze for at least twelve hours. Shortly thereafter, the Morristown Police Department, the Tennessee State Bomb and Arson Division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating the fire. The evidence introduced during the trial showed that the fire began in the Dollar General store and spread throughout the entire complex. It was determined that Fanney was an employee of the Dollar General store and started the fire to cover up the fact she had stolen money from the store earlier that night.