Man with 187 prior arrests jailed for house fire that killed his elderly mother and companion

Kurt Smith lit a fire in garage which he could then not put out

Kurt Smith (Burlington County Prosecutors Office)

A New Jersey man with 187 previous arrests, was jailed for 11 years for the house fire that killed his elderly mother and her companion.

Kurt Smith, 63, had been convicted of setting a 2018 fire in the garage of the home in Browns Mill, New Jersey, where he also lived.

He then could not put out the blaze, which killed his mother, Lore Smith and George Pikunis, who were both 92.

Autopsies performed on the pair concluded that they caddied from smoke and soot inhalation, as well as thermal burns.

Smith, who has 16 previous felony convictions, was convicted last October on two counts of reckless manslaughter.

Superior Court Judge Christopher Garrenger sentenced Smith to 11 years on each count, to run concurrently.

He must serve more than nine years of each sentence before he is eligible for parole.

“It was noted during today’s proceeding that Smith has been arrested 187 times and has 16 felony convictions,” Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

Court records show that Smith’s criminal record includes convictions for theft in 1991, resisting arrest in 2003 and obstruction in 2018.