Man Convicted of Arson in Hacienda Heights Church Fire Gets 18 Years to Life

A man convicted of arson and other charges for setting a fire in April of 2011 that caused millions of dollars in damage to a Catholic church in Hacienda Heights was sentenced today to 18 years to life in state prison and ordered to pay $8.9 million in restitution.

Pomona Superior Court Judge Thomas Falls imposed the sentence on Gregory Yusuke Shiga, 35, of Hacienda Heights, who was convicted on July 9 of one count each of aggravated arson, arson of a structure, arson of an inhabited structure, possession of flammable material and second-degree commercial burglary involving the blaze at St. John Vianney Catholic Church.

Jurors also found true allegations of damage in excess of $3 million, use of an accelerant and multiple buildings burned.

Shiga broke into the church's sanctuary just after midnight on April 16, 2011, saturated toilet paper rolls with a flammable material and placed them around the inside of the church, according to Deputy District Attorney Renee Rose.

Shiga also used a device to saturate the structure's walls and ceilings with an accelerant, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The 20,000-plus-square-foot sanctuary, at 1345 Turnbull Canyon Road, was destroyed in the blaze, and there was substantial damage to the adjacent rectory, from which two priests had narrowly escaped, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.     Investigators determined that day that the fire had been intentionally set.

Shiga was arrested in May 2012 after a yearlong investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, according to the District Attorney's Office.

--City News Service