Funerals set for two slain western New York firefighters

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Michael Chiapperini (left) and Tomasz Kaczowka

/ AP Photo/West Webster Fire Department

(CBS/AP) WEBSTER, N.Y. - Funeral services are expected this weekend for two New York volunteer firefighters who were fatally shot Monday as they arrived at a house fire set by the ex-convict who killed them.

PICTURES: Cops: N.Y. ex-con gunned down firefighters

Calling hours for Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka will be held at Webster Schroeder High School from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and from noon to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.

The funeral service for Chiapperini, who was also a lieutenant with the Webster Police Department, will be held at the high school at noon Sunday. He will be buried in West Webster Cemetery.

The funeral Mass for Kaczowka will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Stanislaus Church in Rochester. Burial will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester.

Police said 62-year-old William Spengler, who served 17 years in prison for manslaughter, set his house on fire before dawn on Monday, then took a a revolver, a shotgun and a semiautomatic rifle and sprayed bullets at the first responders. He then killed himself as seven houses burned on a sliver of land along Lake Ontario.

Complete coverage of the Webster firefighter shooting on Crimesider

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Cops: NY ex-con gunned down firefighters

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by DigoPogo December 26, 2012 6:28 PM EST: Try District Attorneys, who, in order to "avoid a lengthy trial" offer unfit-for-society deals to plead guilty to lesser charges. In this case, Spengler was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter, instead of standing trial on the 2nd degree murder charges that he was originally charged with. I feel the District Attorney in that Spengler trial is definitely responsible for what happened on Christmas Eve.; Reply to this comment

by DigoPogo December 26, 2012 4:33 PM EST

The reason this article has no comments a full 2 hours after posting, is because the entire world is speechless that William Spengler was released from prison after serving 17 years for KILLING HIS OWN GRANDMOTHER WITH A HAMMER! What is wrong with this world that someone who'd do that, would EVER be allowed to see the light of day again?!

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by underdogcity December 26, 2012 5:27 PM EST: I agree!!

Although we can't predict the future of a released convict, we do need to somehow hold judges, psychiatrists, and/or parole boards accountable for releasing dangerous people back into society.