A New York State woman has been convicted of second-degree murder after she and her husband set a fire in an attempted insurance scam.
Iryn B. Meyers and her husband, Joseph A. Meyers, were indicted last year on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree arson, insurance fraud, attempted insurance fraud and conspiracy after a house fire they set killed the home’s owner, David N. O’Dell.
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Joseph Meyers was also charged with first-degree murder and falsifying business records, according to a report by the Star-Gazette, a local newspaper. He was convicted on all counts in May and is currently serving 20 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors say that Iryn and Joseph Meyers set the blaze in February 2016 in order to kill O’Dell and collect more than $140,000 in insurance money, according to a report by the Star-Gazette.
“The New York State Police did a great job putting (the case) together,” said Steuben County, N.Y., District Attorney Brooks Baker. “We learned a lot more about David O’Dell. He was a nice, simple man. He suffered a traumatic brain injury several years ago, and was taking medication. They really took advantage of a person of limited means and capacity.”
