Joe Jarosz
Northeast NewsNov. 12, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The judge assigned to the arson case that killed two Kansas City firefighters has set a December date for the trial’s next hearing.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, at a preliminary hearing, Thu Hong Nguyen, 43, and her lawyer stood before Judge Jalilah Otto, requesting a bond reduction to be released from jail while awaiting trial. She is currently being held on $2 million cash bond. Judge Otto set a Dec. 3, 2015, bond reduction hearing for Nguyen, who is accused of setting fire to her nail salon, located at 2614 Independence Ave., on Oct. 12, 2014.

Nguyen has been charged with one count of first-degree arson, a class A felony; and two counts of second-degree murder because the two firefighters died as a result of the arson, each also a class A felony. Two firefighters, Larry Leggio and John Mesh, died as a result of the fire. She has pleaded not guilty. The court provided a Vietnamese interpreter to assist Nguyen while in court.