Firefighter gets life in shooting deaths of 3

The Cleveland man shot and killed the people without warning.

CLEVELAND (AP) — A firefighter was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without chance of parole for killing three people over late-night Fourth of July fireworks set off in his usually quiet neighborhood.

In sentencing Terrance Hough Jr., 36, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold followed a jury recommendation, returned earlier in the afternoon, that prohibited her from imposing a death sentence.

Hough apologized on the witness stand Wednesday and again at sentencing.

“I’d like to say that I’m sorry, your honor,” Hough said when asked Thursday if he had anything to say. Asked if he wanted to say more, Hough shook his head, indicating no. He showed no emotion.

The jury found Hough guilty of three counts of aggravated murder for the shooting deaths of next-door neighbor Jacob Feichtner and two of Feichtner’s friends.

Hough emerged from his house without warning just after midnight July 5 and shot and killed Feichtner, 24, who was holding a party, Bruce Anderson, 30, of Parma, and Katherine Rosby, 26, of Lakewood.

The defense claimed that Hough had acted in a fit of temporary rage along the quiet street popular with Cleveland police officers and firefighters required to live in the city.

Hough’s wife had called police several times between 2003 and 2005 complaining about loud noise, drugs, underage drinking and problems with neighbors, police reports show.

The jury, which convicted Hough on May 16 on the aggravated murder charges and two counts of attempted murder, took about three hours to make its recommendation Thursday on whether to impose a death sentence.