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Kurt Smith was sentenced on Thursday, Feb. 10 in Superior Court in Mount Holly, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. He must serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
During Thursday’s proceedings, it was noted that Smith had been arrested 187 times and has 16 felony convictions, Coffina said.
Smith, who lived at the residence in the 500 block of Willow Boulevard in Browns Mills, was convicted in October 2021 on two counts of second-degree reckless manslaughter, Coffina said.
Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Garrenger sentenced Smith to 11 years on each count, to run concurrently, the prosecutor said.
The verdict was returned after approximately 10 hours of deliberation over two days. The jury was unable to come to a verdict on an arson charge against Smith, Coffina said.
Smith allegedly ignited flammable material with a cigarette lighter in the garage of the residence on Oct. 16, 2018, then unsuccessfully tried to extinguish the blaze, Coffina said.
The fire killed his mother, Lore Smith, and her companion, George Pikunis, both 92.
Autopsies performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood concluded the cause of death in each instance was smoke and soot inhalation, along with thermal burns.
Smith was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Remy, supervisor of the BCPO Financial Crimes Unit, and Assistant Prosecutor Bob Van Gilst, supervisor of the BCPO Major Crimes Unit.
The investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Pemberton Township Police Department, and the Burlington County Fire Marshal’s Office.
The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Sergeant Erica Ridge and Pemberton Township Detective Tom Lucas.
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