The week at a glance...United States

Los Angeles

Arsonist sentenced: An arsonist was sentenced to death this week for starting a fire that led to the deaths of five men from heart attacks—an unprecedented legal interpretation of murder. Rickie Lee Fowler, 31, started a wildfire in October 2003 that devoured over 140 square miles of the San Bernardino area. He was convicted in August not only of arson, but also of the first-degree murder of five men who died from heart attacks they suffered in their panicked evacuations from their homes. The jury that convicted Fowler recommended the death penalty, and Superior Court Judge Michael Smith imposed the sentence this week. Defense attorney Don Jordan had pleaded with the judge for leniency, citing Fowler’s abusive childhood. “Please don’t impose the death penalty on this poor creature before you,” he said.

Akron

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Cop exonerated: A former police captain convicted of his wife’s murder in 1997 was released from jail this week when a judge ruled that DNA evidence proved he was not the killer. Douglas Prade was found guilty of murder after his wife, Margo Prade, was found shot to death in a vehicle outside her office, with a deep bite mark on her arm. There were no witnesses, and no weapon was found at the scene, but despite conflicting expert testimony, prosecutors convinced a trial jury that the bite mark matched her husband’s teeth. Prade was sentenced to life but maintained his innocence, and successfully petitioned the Ohio Supreme Court in 2010 to test the bite mark with DNA techniques not available at the time of the trial. County prosecutors said they would appeal the decision, insisting that the DNA evidence may have been contaminated.

Boston

Kerry replacement named: Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick named William “Mo” Cowan, his former chief of staff, as interim U.S. senator this week, after the Senate confirmed John Kerry to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Cowan, a Democrat who had been acting as a senior adviser to Patrick, will become the second sitting African-American member in the Senate, alongside South Carolina Republican Tim Scott. A special election for Kerry’s vacated seat will be held June 25. Cowan said he has no intention of running, and Massachusetts congressmen Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch will be among those competing for the Democratic nomination. Republican Scott Brown, who lost his Senate seat to Elizabeth Warren in November, is still deciding whether to run for Kerry’s seat. Kerry was confirmed this week by a 94–3 vote in the Senate.

New York City

Scouts rethink gay ban: The Boy Scouts of America this week announced that it was weighing an about-face on its long-standing ban on gay scouts and troop leaders. The shift, which the movement’s governing board will discuss next week, would remove the ban from the national organization’s rules, and allow local troops to decide whether to admit gay scouts and leaders. That would free parents “to choose a local unit which best meets the needs of their families,” said a Scouts spokesperson. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said opening scouting to gays would strengthen the group’s “core principles of fairness and respect.” But some scout leaders worried that it could trigger fractious debates within local groups, many of which are affiliated with churches. “If this thing comes down and causes a split, that would be very bad for scouting,” said Val Carolin, an Atlanta scoutmaster.

Baltimore

Amputee gets arms: A young Iraq veteran who lost all four of his limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb explosion has received a successful double arm transplant. Brendan Marrocco, 26, of Staten Island, N.Y., was the first serviceman from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive the loss of four limbs, and is one of only seven Americans who have had both arms transplanted successfully. Such transplants are rare because the operation is so complex, requiring four surgical teams made up of three surgeons each. Transplanted limbs never have 100 percent of their function, said surgeon W.P. Andrew Lee of Johns Hopkins Hospital, where Marrocco underwent the surgery. But patients can eventually tie their shoes, use chopsticks, or “put their hair in ponytails,” he said. Marrocco was doing well. “It’s like I went back four years and I’m me again,” he said.

Washington, D.C.

Giffords testifies: Gabrielle Giffords, the former congresswoman wounded during a mass shooting in Tucson in 2011, made an emotional plea at a Senate hearing this week for Congress to show “courage’’ and take action to limit gun violence. “We must do something,” said Giffords, who spoke haltingly but with determination before the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Too many children are dying. Be bold. Be courageous. Americans are counting on you.” Giffords retired from Congress after a crazed gunman’s spree left her with brain damage. Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, also testified in support of banning high-capacity magazines. Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association told the hearing that new gun-control laws would not work. “We all know that homicidal maniacs, criminals, and the insane don’t abide by the law,” he said.