Clues sought in triple fatal fire

March 31, 2015 at 12:01a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The grandparents of a 10-year-old girl told friends they were nervous about a case in which the girl was to testify as a rape victim.

But that testimony never happened.

William and Judith Schmidt and their granddaughter, Corinne Gump, died in a fire early Monday that postponed the trial and caused the defendant to be jailed without bond.

The girl, along with her grandparents, identified by friends and relatives at the scene, were killed after flames broke out in their 3631 Powers Way home about 3:30 a.m. Monday.

“We were supposed to go out to eat Friday, but they said, ‘Too much stress,’” wrote Richard Bloom, who is deaf, as were the Schmidts.

Robert Seman, 45, of West Calla Road in Green Township, was to go on trial Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on four counts of rape pertaining to the granddaughter. The counts carry maximum sentences of life in prison. He also is facing four counts of gross sexual imposition.

Bond was revoked after a hearing in which prosecutors told the judge a woman told city police that over the weekend Seman offered her $10,000 if she told prosecutors the girl lied.

THE FIRE

Jean McCammon, a neighbor across the street, was jolted awake by a morning explosion and seconds later saw the burning house across the street, with firefighters arriving soon after that.

“My feet hit the floor, and I looked at the clock. It was 3:41,” she said.

At first, the 82-year-old retired nurse thought a vehicle had hit a utility pole because her lights were flickering.

“The fire was coming out of the basement, and by the time I got to my front door, which was about nine steps, the whole thing was gone,” McCammon said of the house, which by then was engulfed in flames.

“You couldn’t tell there was a house there,” she said. “They were good people. They got along fine, and they were in no trouble with anybody. They came over here in the winter and shoveled my driveway, and, in the fall, raked the leaves.”

Pam Jones, a neighbor down the street from the burned home, said her daughter and grandchildren lived next to the home and she was awakened by her grandchildren banging on her door as the house went up in flames. Jones said she, too, heard an explosion.

“It actually sounded like somebody hit my house,” Jones said.

Capt. Brad Blackburn, chief of detectives, said there appeared to be nothing criminal as to how the fire started, but detectives are working with Capt. Alvin Ware, fire department investigator, and the state fire marshal’s office. Blackburn said it did not appear initially the trial was linked to the fire, but he did say detectives would look to see if there was a link, adding that “it was a concern.”

As of yet, a cause or point of origin for the blaze have not been determined, he said.

THE FIRE INVESTIGATION

Fire Chief John O’Neill said 30 firefighters and nearly all the city’s firetrucks were on the scene.

“It was fully involved. We had quite a bit of fire in the basement, so that’s the likely origin,” he said. Engine 9 arrived first at the scene.

“The floors were giving way almost immediately upon entry,” O’Neill said.

Capt. Perry Harrison of Engine 9 was injured when he fell through the first floor into the basement and was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

“He was banged up pretty bad, but I think he’ll be OK,” the chief said.

O’Neill said he also rotated crews because of the intensity of the flames. “The guys were spent.”

O’Neill said had the house been vacant, firefighters would’ve pulled back and tried to protect neighboring homes. But because neighbors said there were people inside, crews tried to get inside to rescue them.

A COMMUNITY MOURNS

At South Range Elementary School, where the 10-year-old Corinne was a fourth-grader, grief counselors were on hand Monday evening and were to return this morning.

“It is a very sad day,” said South Range Schools Superintendent Dennis Dunham. “The thoughts and prayers of the entire Raider community go out to the student’s family,” he said.

“The little girl was just the light of their lives,” McCammon recalled.

The Blooms said they had planned to take the family out to dinner because William Schmidt just retired from AT&T. Richard Bloom and Schmidt had been friends since childhood. Both were 1971 graduates of Woodrow Wilson High School. The Blooms said the Schmidts had been married for more than 35 years.

They watched as fire investigators and detectives scoured the home for clues in the neighborhood of largely two-story, older homes and the nearby park on Loveland Road, where neighbors said it is usually quiet.

Bill Liptak, landlord of a neighboring house, said the Schmidts could read lips and use sign language. He said he talked with them enough that they knew how to communicate.

Bloom’s wife, Tina Bloom, said the girl was dropped off by her mother with the Schmidts about six months ago.

“She’s sweet,” Tina Bloom said of Corinne.

A picture of 10-year-old Corinne was provided to The Vindicator’s media partner, 21 WFMJ-TV. The news station reported that Marcia Braden, her paternal grandmother, was too distraught to discuss the tragedy.

THE RAPE CASE

The girl’s mother told police Seman had been abusing her daughter for several years, Goshen Township police said. Seman was indicted on the charges in March 2014.

The county Children Services Board assisted in the investigation, and Seman’s 2-year-old child was removed from his custody.

County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains said prosecutors are trying to see if there is other evidence they can use against Seman. He said that is one of the reasons why they asked for the trial postponement. He said they are reviewing statements to see if any are exceptions to the hearsay rule and can be allowed into evidence.

He would not say if the girl made a videotaped statement to investigators, but, even if she did, he said that statement would not be allowed in court because it is not an exception to the hearsay rule.

Police also were interviewing the girl’s mother, who friends said had been missing for some time, late Monday afternoon. Police said the mother is not a suspect at this time.

CORONER’S REPORT

By Monday night, Dr. Joseph Ohr, forensic pathologist and deputy county coroner, said he was able to identify William Schmidt, 63, based on a unique tattoo on his left forearm and a surgical rod in his upper left arm.

Corinne was identified based on an examination by Dr. Robert Johnson, a forensic dentist.

Dr. Ohr said he was “90 percent sure” of the identification of Schmidt’s wife, Judith, but still needs medical and dental records to achieve certainty. Dr. Ohr said his office is still trying to find her dentist.

“There is no overt evidence of trauma” on the victims’ bodies, Dr. Ohr said, explaining he saw no evidence of bullet holes, knife wounds or strangulation.

Dr. Ohr said he cannot yet make a determination of the cause and manner of death of the victims. Autopsies will be performed today, he said.