Students accused of setting fire appear in court
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) Two Kansas State University students accused of setting a deadly fire have made their first court appearances.
Patrick Scahill, 20, and Virginia Griese, 19, are both held on $1 million bond on charges of first-degree felony and murder and aggravated arson. They charges stem from a Feb. 7 fire at an apartment building near campus that killed 34-year-old Vasanta Pallem, a postdoctoral researcher in chemical engineering.
The Associated Press reports Griese and Scahill appeared Tuesday via camera hookups from jail before Riley County Judge William Malcolm.
Investigators have released little information about the fire or a possible motive, and no evidence was presented Tuesday. The judge scheduled a preliminary hearing March 22 for Griese and a status hearing March 12 for Scahill, who indicated he's preparing to hire a lawyer.
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