Two men have pleaded guilty to causing an explosion in a marijuana grow house that killed FDNY Deputy Chief Michael Fahy.
Garabaldi Castillo pleaded guilty to second-degree
manslaughter and first-degree possession of marijuana. Julio Salcedo also pleaded guilty to the same charges Friday in Bronx Supreme Court.
According to District Attorney Darcel Clark, this is an extremely rare instance where someone is being held criminally responsible for conditions that caused the death of a firefighter in the line of duty in New York City.
Under the plea agreement, Castillo faces two to six years in prison for the manslaughter and five for the marijuana charge. Salcedo faces one to three years in prison for the manslaughter charge and four years for the marijuana charge.
The two will be sentenced in mid-August. According to the DA, the defendants constructed a grow house – sealing the windows of the second floor which stopped ventilation of leaking gas.
That caused the explosion and death of Fahy. He was 44 years old.
Fahy was a member of the FDNY for 17 years and was the father of two boys and a girl.
After his death, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the incident a reminder of the sacrifice that first responders make.