‘Burned to death for helping somebody.’ Man sentenced in fatal Phenix City fire
A man convicted on two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of two people in a 2019 Phenix City house fire has been sentenced, according to Russell County District Attorney Rick Chancey.
Ricky Mack Morris was found guilty in December in the deaths of Abner and Martha Garnto.
A residence was engulfed in flames when authorities were called at 11:45 p.m. June 15, 2019, to 1001 43rd Ave. in Phenix City.
Chancey said Morris was sentenced to 40 years on each count of manslaughter to run consecutively. Morris faced a sentencing range of 10 years to life on each charge, according to Chancey.
Chancey said he is satisfied with the sentencing, but he wanted a harsher punishment.
“I wanted him to serve life without parole on a felony capital murder conviction,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “However, the jury didn’t see it that way. . . . We’ll be opposing any parole that he comes up for.”
Morris faced capital murder charges but was found not guilty of those charges, Chancey told the L-E at the time. He said the jury found Morris guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter by arson in each of the deaths of the Garntos.
When speaking about the Garntos, Chancey said, “The only thing they did wrong was help two people who were on drugs and alcohol. And they helped them, and they opened their home to them, and they provided them shelter, and this is what they got paid back with, being burned to death.”
Chancey previously said Debbie Ann Parker had been arrested in connection with the crime and charged with two counts of manslaughter. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was a witness in the case against Morris, Chancey said.
Chancey said his thoughts go out to the Garnto family.
“I can’t imagine: You lose your family being burned to death for helping somebody,” he said.