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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- An Altoona man has been sentenced to 11-to-25 years' incarceration for setting a city house on fire in an attempt to kill two people inside.
Daniel Michael Sipes Jr., 28, rendered guilty pleas Thursday to two counts of attempted homicide, one count of aggravated arson/person inside property, four counts of aggravated assault, causing a catastrophe, criminal use of a communications device and related offenses.
In addition to the two people Sipes targeted to kill, four more people -- an adult and three children -- were inside the house at 2621 Fifth Ave. on Oct. 14, 2021, when a patrolling city police officer noticed the burning structure about 12:30 a.m.
"This is a case that was an extremely close call for six people who could have lost their lives," District Attorney Pete Weeks said Thursday.
Weeks praised Altoona patrolman Jarod Pisarchik for spotting the fire at the rear of the structure and alerting those inside to get out.
In court Thursday, Sipes said he was sorry to the victims. However, they weren't in court to hear that apology.
Weeks said the efforts made to contact the victims drew no response.
Judge Fred B. Miller, who accepted the guilty pleas and handed down the negotiated sentence, ordered Sipes to have no contact with the victims. Miller also directed Sipes, within 15 years of being released from prison, to make restitution of $202,713 as requested by State Farm Insurance.
Defense attorney John Hicks told Miller that Sipes wasn't contesting the restitution request. Hicks also said that Sipes, in light of the negotiated sentence, would waive his right to a pre-sentence investigation.
Sipes was scheduled to select a jury Monday for what would have been a May trial with 20 to 30 witnesses and a risk of convictions leading to a longer sentence.
Outside court, Weeks described the negotiated sentence of 11 to 25 years as "fair" and said it falls within the state sentencing guidelines.
"He has a significant price to pay, and with a case like this, there's no guarantee that he'll be paroled on his minimum," Weeks said.
Miller credited Sipes for time served since Jan. 26, 2022, when Altoona police filed the fire-related charges against him. At that time, Sipes was in the county prison on unrelated charges.
Weeks also praised Altoona police Det. Jon Burns for an extensive effort to gather evidence through interviews, cellphone extractions, social media postings and prison phone call recordings. Burns also worked with Altoona Fire Department personnel, who concluded that the fire was started with an ignitable liquid, believed to be gasoline, and who declared the residence a total loss.
The charges filed against Sipes and a co-defendant, Maria Frye, 33, Altoona, indicate that they were at odds with the adults who lived inside 2621 Fifth Ave., including a woman who, after the fire, immediately accused Sipes of burning her house down and told police that Sipes was crazy.
Frye, in a court hearing in June 2023, admitted to physically fighting with the woman during the hours before the fire, then to accompanying Sipes, who drove to 2621 Fifth Ave. Frye said she stayed in the car while Sipes removed a bag from the trunk and headed toward the garage where he expected to find people smoking meth. After finding no one in the garage, Frye said Sipes returned to the car and insisted on getting out of there.
In the following days, Frye said Sipes got messages praising him for burning down the house, prompting him to write a message on an exterior bedroom: "I'll burn your house down with your kids in it, love Danny."
The sentencing order Miller handed down also requires Sipes to undergo drug and alcohol, mental health and anger management evaluations and to follow through with treatment, including cognitive behavioral therapy.
Criminal charges filed against Frye for her alleged role in the fire are still pending.