A former OU student charged with first-degree arson entered a blind guilty plea before district court judge William C. Heatherington Monday, waiving his right to a jury trial.
At an Aug. 15 arraignment, Richard Lee Burro, 20, pleaded not-guilty to charges of first-degree arson in connection with a fire in Adams Center on April 12.
The blind plea entered in Cleveland County District Court does not guarantee Burro will receive leniency. In standard plea agreements, prosecutors offer a reduced sentence in exchange for the defendant's plea of guilty to a lesser charge.
Burro's defense made a blind agreement which carried no such provisions, said Rick Sitzman, assistant Cleveland County District Attorney.
Burro's defense attorney, Danny Corn, could not be reached for comment. His law partner also declined to comment on the plea.
Last spring, Burro was enrolled as a University College freshman and lived in university residence halls. Following his April 14 arrest in connection with the fire, Burro was immediately expelled from OU, according to university records.
A student judicial committee found that Burro had specifically violated Title 16.5, 16.22, 16.24 and 16.25 of the OU Student Code. Those sections refer to violation of residence hall rules, arson, attempting or conspiring to commit an act prohibited by the code, and "violation of applicable local, state or federal laws," according to the code.
Officers responding to the April 12 fire in Johnson Tower found heavy smoke and flooding from active sprinklers on the basement floor, according to OU Department of Public Safety records. Police also found an active fire on the fifth floor of the tower stemming from a burning one-gallon gas container.
Following the incident, Norman Fire Department investigators ruled the fire an attempted arson.
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