Guilty verdict in Boston fire trial

South Boston resident Nicole Chuminski has been found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, one count of arson, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Chuminski's weapon of choice -- the fire she intentionally set in the home of her girlfriend Anna Reisopoulos on April 5, 2008 -- claimed the lives of Reisopoulos' daughters, 14-year-old Acia and 2-year-old Sophia Johnson.

Reisopoulos had reportedly humiliated 25-year-old Chuminski, at a wedding earlier in the day. Add public embarrassment to what the prosecutors in the case (Assistant District Attorney David Fredette and Assistant District Attorney Julie Higgins) called an already "volatile, emotional relationship," and Chuminski "willfully and maliciously" set fire to her Reisopoulos' West 6th St. home, Fredette said in his opening statement Monday, Feb. 1.

"Throughout this investigation and prosecution, our goal was to speak for two murdered children," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said Feb. 16. "Suffolk prosecutors, Boston Police detectives, Boston firefighters, State Police chemists, our victim-witness advocates, and countless others worked toward the result we reached today. But as satisfied as we are with these verdicts, we know they will never replace the beautiful lives that were snuffed out on April 5, 2008."

"The conditions were perfect for that fire to spread," Fredette said during his opening statements, "trapping Acia and Sophia on the third floor." Acia picked up her baby sister and hid in the closet. "She cradled that baby," Fredette said. "And that's the way the fire department found them."

After the fire, it was determined that the conflagration was no accident. "Accelerant-sniffing dogs came to the scene and hit on something," Fredette said. That "something" was determined to be acetone, a chemical found in common solvents. Chuminski's clothing later tested positive for the presence of the chemical.

After allegedly fleeing the scene, Chuminski purportedly told a witness about the fight and admitted to having thrown a bottle through her girlfriend's window -- statements which she later contradicted during subsequent interviews with homicide detectives.

"Partner abuse is often treated as if it is invisible in LGBT communities, but in reality, many in our communities live in fear of their partners, in fear for their safety and in fear for their loved ones," said Beth Leventhal, director of the Network/La Red, a Boston-based organization that combats LGBT domestic violence. "It's unfortunate that it's only after horrendous acts like the South Boston fire that we talk at a community level about this issue."

Chuminksi, who faces a mandatory life term for each murder conviction, will be sentenced by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Frank Gaziano on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 9:30 a.m.

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic violence or partner abuse, please call the Network/La Red's hotline at (617) 742-4911.