'Neighbor from hell' gets 10-20 years for arson

Calling her "the neighbor from hell," a Montgomery County judge on Thursday sentenced a Lower Pottsgrove woman to 10 to 20 years in prison for burning down the house of a police officer who lived next door.

"What kind of person does something so violent, so twisted?" County Court Judge Gary S. Silow wondered aloud as he handed down the punishment to Donna Krupp.

If Silow expected an answer, it wasn't coming from Krupp. She maintained her innocence throughout her trial and, given the chance Thursday, expressed no remorse.

Ernie and Christine Morris lost their home and family cat in the December 2014 fire, set while they were vacationing at Walt Disney World with their 11- and 14-year-old daughters.

A jury convicted Krupp, 53, of arson and other felonies in November.

Prosecutors said Krupp had targeted Ernie Morris, a Limerick detective, because she blamed him for her son's legal troubles.

They showed jurors surveillance video from the Morrises' home that showed a hooded figure approaching the house and using a lighter to ignite a Christmas tree on its porch. The arsonist then fled in the direction of Krupp's house.

Morris testified at trial that their relationship had turned hostile after he tried to help Krupp and her husband deal with Krupp's son, Joshua Beauseigneur, a heroin addict who had been in and out of jail.

On Thursday, Morris told the judge that more than a year later, his family and colleagues still live in fear.

"All I ever tried to do, ever, was help that woman and her family," he said, in a courtroom packed with fellow officers and other supporters. "What about the next police officer she comes in contact with?"

Krupp recounted the incident as the day someone else burned down her neighbor's home and "the beginning of hell" for her. She said she has never trusted police officers.

"I don't understand how I can be made out to be a monster by people who don't even know me," Krupp said.

As part of the sentence, the judge also ordered her to pay more than $550,000 in restitution for damage from the blaze.

In an interview after the hearing, Krupp's lawyer, John Fioravanti Jr., called the sentence excessive. He said he planned to ask for reconsideration.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Daniels told the judge the quiet cul-de-sac, Commons Drive, was "an idyllic place until Dec. 4, 2014 - and it will never be the same again."

Julie Fitzgerald, who lived on the other side of the Morrises, testified that her family was traumatized after being evacuated as the fire raged.

"I haven't felt safe in my house or my neighborhood since that night," she told the judge. "How could we live in such a neighborhood?"

lmccrystal@phillynews.com 610-313-8116 @LMcCrystal