A status conference is scheduled for later this month in the case of an Apollo man accused of setting a house on fire that killed a woman and her three children in September 2005. The case of Frederick Anthony Robinson, 53, has stalled for two years. At a conference a few weeks ago, Armstrong County District Attorney Scott Andreassi said he and defense counsel and the judge met to discuss the case's status. No pre-trial motions have been filed by the defense in the case, he said. The group is scheduled to meet again Nov. 26. The case is scheduled for trial in January. Robinson is accused of lighting an envelope and setting it on the porch of a Clifford Avenue home in Apollo. He is charged with four counts of homicide for allegedly setting the Sept. 2, 2005, blaze that killed Crystal Johnson, 40, and her children, ages 2, 5 and 11. They were found in an upstairs bedroom of the home. Andreassi is seeking the death penalty. Messages for public defender Debra Yost and at Robert E. Stewart's office were not returned. Both are representing Robinson. An issue is whether Robinson is mentally competent to stand trial. Andreassi said Robinson has been psychologically evaluated by the state's expert. "She believes he is competent to stand trial," he said. According to police, Robinson heard voices that told him "he was no good and that he didn't deserve to live" before allegedly setting the fire. The voices told him everyone was doing him wrong, police said. According to the affidavit filed in the case, Robinson knocked on the victim's door because he wanted someone to talk to, but no one answered. After placing the lit envelope on the porch, Robinson went to the Chambers Hotel, where he was living, police said. Robinson told police that he then came back to his senses and went back to Clifford Avenue to put out the fire, but it was out of control. Robinson also is charged with arson, causing a catastrophe and recklessly endangering other people.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---