Remembering Alicia Nour

 

A Fateful Summer Evening

By the time Alicia Nour got home on Saturday night, August 20, 1993, she was exhausted. She had spent a fun and exciting day at Cedar Point amusement park with her grandmother, mother, brother, sister, cousin and two friends. That evening they all were spending the evening at Alicia’s grandma’s house before going home the next day. Also in the two-story building that night were the property owner, who lived on the second floor, and Alicia’s mother’s boyfriend. They all were asleep until approximately 1:20 a.m., when they were awakened by smoke billowing through the house.

Alicia’s family woke up and realized the house was on fire. Alicia, her 18-year-old sister and her 16-year-old cousin decided the quickest way out of the house was through the back door in the kitchen. They dropped to their knees and began to crawl through the house to the back door. Police arrived minutes later and immediately saw Alicia’s mother screaming for help from a second-story window. She then began dropping the remaining children into the arms of neighbors and police officers.

Police realized everyone was accounted for except Alicia and the building owner. They began searching for a way into the home and went around the back of the house. There they saw the building owner on the roof of the house. She was terrified, in shock, and refused to move. Police got her safely down from the roof while firefighters continued searching for Alicia. Firefighters entered the house the found Alicia on the kitchen floor. She was unconscious and they did everything they could to revive her before an ambulance took her to Medical College Hospital. Alicia was pronounced dead a short time later. The coroner said she died from smoke inhalation.

Nine people made it out of the house safely and all were taken to the hospital. Everyone was treated for smoke inhalation and released except for Alicia’s brother, who remained in the hospital for several days. Two firefighters, who were also injured, were treated and released.

The fire investigator determined the fire was accidental and causee by smoking materials left unattended in a storage area. The case was closed until police caught a break seven years later.

A Murderer Revealed and Convicted

At the end of August of 2000, police arrested Danny Frost for a string of five burglaries. While being questioned, he told officers that he had information about an old murder. Frost said Alicia Nour was killed by a man named Roger Barker. At first police were hesitant to believe Frost. They believed he was interested in negotiating a plea deal, however, based on the information, they decided to reopen the case. Detectives spent four months thoroughly investigating the fire and their break came when they located Derick Newlan,

Derick Newlan was a friend of Roger Barker and was with him on the night the fire started in Alicia’s grandmother’s house. He said that Barker found the house’s storage room door unlocked. He went in and, according to assistant prosecutor James Vail, was looking for something to steal. When Barker found nothing he wanted to steal, Newlan said Barker then set five or six fires with a cigarette lighter and the two fled the scene.

Based on Frost and Newlan’s statements, prosecutors charged Barker with aggravated arson and involuntary manslaughter. A murder charge was not brought since there was no evidence that Barker intended to kill Alicia. It took the jury three hours to review all the evidence and find Barker guilty of both charges. At sentencing, Judge Robert Christiansen told Barker, “I find this was a total senseless act. You didn’t care who you might hurt.” He then sentenced Barker to 14-50 years in prison. Barker took no responsibility for his actions and told the judge, “I didn’t do it and I’m sorry it happened.”