ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Sandra Bryant and Steven Kemper have been indicted for their role in the November 2001 arson of their Florissant, Mo., home that left their 15-year-old son, Zachariah Kemper, dead.
Bryant, formerly known as Sandra Kemper, 55, and Steven Kemper, 53, escaped the Nov. 16, 2001, fire at their home, along with Steven Kemper’s live-in lover, Jay Long, and Bryant’s mother.
Zachariah Kemper was trapped in the basement and killed during the fire. The indictments against his parents were returned last week but remained sealed until Monday.
This is the first time Kemper has been linked to the fatal fire. St. Louis County prosecutors originally charged his ex-wife, Bryant, in 2002, for arson and first-degree murder. At trial, the judge declared a mistrial after deciding that he had erred in allowing the jury to hear evidence of a polygraph examination. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys objected to the judge’s decision at the time.
The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately determined that because the mistrial was declared over the defense objection, state prosecutors were barred from retrying the defendant by the U.S. Constitution’s “double jeopardy” provision.
According to the indictment, Bryant and Kemper participated in a continuous scheme to defraud multiple insurance companies from December 1996 through 2002. The arsons of two residential dwellings in 1997 and 1999, as well as the arson of the Kemper residence in November 2001 were part of that scheme.
During the Nov. 16, 2001, blaze, Zach Kemper’s body was discovered by fire personnel in the basement of the home, on the floor, next to his bed just feet from a fire extinguisher. After that, the Kempers made repeated misrepresentations to several insurance companies, according to the indictment. The insurance companies then made “substantial” payments to the Kempers pursuant to the terms of their applicable homeowners and life insurance policies, according to the indictment.
In a press release, U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan credited the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office as important elements in leading to the indictment.
The indictment charges Bryant and Kemper with aiding and abetting the use of fire to commit mail fraud. Bryant is charged separately in a second count with using fire to commit mail fraud. The penalties under each count are a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to life imprisonment.
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