Judge rejects bail request of Jeannette man awaiting retrial for 1993 fatal fire

A judge on Wednesday denied bail for a former Jeannette man awaiting retrial on charges he set a fire three decades ago that killed his wife and two young children.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart III ruled that state law prohibits bail for defendants who face a potential life sentence if convicted.

“Bail must be categorically denied,” Stewart said.

James Young, 58, served more than 30 years of three consecutive life sentences following his 1995 conviction for first-degree murder and arson. The fire killed his 26-year-old wife, Gina Marie; his 3-year-old stepson, Shaun Holden; and the couple’s 7-month-old baby, Joshua.

Young’s conviction was overturned in March and a retrial was ordered after a county judge ruled the guilty verdict was based on outdated science regarding the fire’s origins. Young remains in Westmoreland County Prison without bond.

Defense attorneys from the Pennsylvania Innocence Project argued that Young was entitled to consideration for pretrial release. They claim that that because the case predates a 1998 constitutional amendment prohibiting bail in life sentence cases, the old rules should apply.

Defense attorney Elizabeth DeLosa of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project declined comment following Wednesday’s hearing.

DeLosa, along with Innocence Project lawyer Nilam A. Sanghvi, argued in court Young was entitled to be considered for pretrial release, noting that following his arrest in 1994, a county judge set Young’s bail at $250,000.

“This is not the usual case. He is now in his late 50s and has been incarcerated for 30 years while the commonwealth’s case eroded. He’s not a threat to public safety,” Sanghvi said.

Young’s uncle, Leroy North, testified that his nephew would live with him in Adamsburg if he were to be released.

County prosecutors opposed any pretrial release, saying the granting of a new trial did not allow a judge to apply bail rules that were in place prior to the constitutional amendment.

“A new trial was granted in March 2025. That resets the clock,” said Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro.

Young’s original conviction was based on prosecution experts who classified the fatal blaze as intentionally set using an accelerant. Prosecutors continue to defend the initial guilty verdicts, citing circumstantial evidence, including Young’s actions the night of the fire and his history of domestic violence.

Trial evidence included the discovery of gasoline cans outside the house and traces of fuel soaked into the diaper of Young’s infant son. Witnesses testified they saw Young walk on the roof in his underwear as the house burned and that he refused to rescue his family as his wife pleaded for help from an upstairs window.

Young has maintained his innocence. A date for his retrial has not be set.