Convicted teenage murderer Michael Pilato who killed his father and two brothers by setting their home in New York on fire, has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Pilato received the maximum sentence for the crime.
Pilato, 16, was convicted last month of second-degree murder, attempted murder, murder by arson and arson. According to the police report, Pilato poured gasoline throughout his Webster home and set it ablaze in December 2011, killing his 71-year-old father, Carmen, and brothers, 16-year-old Peter and 12-year-old Josh.
His mother and 13-year old sister managed to escape the fire, but both had injuries relating to the accident. According to his mother, she believes Pilato may have been under the influence of bath salts or synthetic marijuana the night he set that fire.
Meanwhile, a therapist who treated Pilato for four years referred to Pilato a "budding sociopath" in his pre-sentence report. His mother also defended him by saying that in all the years Pilato received treatment, he was never diagnosed as a sociopath, suggesting there was no sign he could behave in such a manner.
In addressing the court, Pilato's attorney James Nobles said the tragedy was unfortunate, but the defendant suffered no clinical disorder that would qualify him as a "sociopath." Instead, his only diagnosis in treatment leading up to the crime was ADHD.
