Paul Kenneth Keller (born January 6, 1966) is a serial

arsonist Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

and convicted murderer from

Lynnwood, Washington Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the f ...

. He is serving 107 years in prison and will be eligible for parole in 2079. He was convicted of setting over 107 fires and admitted to setting over 76 of them. The fires killed at least three people and caused more than $30 million in property damage during a six-month period during 1992–1993.

In popular culture

Keller's story was depicted in a 1995

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

movie of the week called '' Not Our Son'' starring

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

. His case was also featured on the ''

Forensic Files ''Forensic Files'', originally known as ''Medical Detectives'', is an American documentary television program that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness. The show was orig ...

'' episode "Fire Proof". In that program, it was reported that Keller has said that he was molested by a volunteer fireman when he was twelve years old. His family has been described as being devoutly Lutheran. Some of the fires he set were at Lutheran churches. ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...

'' mentioned him in the 2007 episode "Ashes and Dust," a drama about another serial arsonist. His story was also featured on the true-crime television series ''

Evil Lives Here ''Evil Lives Here'' is an American documentary television series on Investigation Discovery that debuted on January 17, 2016. This 60-minute true crime show spends each episode interviewing a family member of the highlighted murderer. On August ...

'' in the episode "Not My Boy," which aired on

Investigation Discovery Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...

on January 1, 2017.

Victims

On September 22, 1992, Keller set fire to Seattle's Four Freedoms House retirement home; three people were killed (Bertha Nelson, age 93; Mary Dorris, age 77; and Adeline Stockness, age 72).

References

External links

"The two sides of arsonist Paul Keller."
''The Seattle Times''. May 4, 1993.

''The New York Times''. March 7, 1993. {{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Paul Kenneth 1966 births Living people 1992 murders in the United States 1993 crimes in the United States 20th-century American criminals American people convicted of arson American people convicted of murder Criminals from Washington (state) People convicted of murder by Washington (state) People from Lynnwood, Washington Place of birth missing (living people)