Expert Says Fire in Murder Conviction Was an Accident

William Armor has spent the last 18 years in prison. He was convicted of starting a fire, which killed his mother-in-law, in his Naperville apartment in 1995.

On Monday, an expert witness testified that the fire wasn't arson, according to the Naperville Sun. Armor confessed to starting the fire with a lit cigaret and vodka, but the expert said that wouldn't be physically possible.

Lawyers from the Illinois Innocence Project are arguing that Armor's conviction should be overturned.

Some criminal justice experts say that innocent people can be forced to confess to crime they didn't commit. Armor's lawyers said in a release that his confession came after "two weeks in jail, immediately followed by being served divorce papers at the station, and 15 hours of questioning."

The hearing in DuPage County court is expected to last all week.

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