Testimony continues in Esperanza wildfire murder trial

The Desert Sun reports:

Prosecution testimony is slated to resume today in the murder trial of Raymond Lee Oyler, a former Beaumont mechanic accused of igniting the 2006 Esperanza wildfire, which killed five firefighters. Oyler faces five counts of first-degree murder in connection with the Esperanza blaze and is also charged with multiple counts of arson and possessing destructive devices. He could face the death penalty if convicted. In his opening statement Thursday, Deputy District Attorney Michael Hestrin told jurors the 38-year-old defendant was ``a man bent on destruction'' when he allegedly lit the Esperanza blaze and 22 other fires in the Banning Pass. The Oct. 26, 2006, Esperanza fire killed five U.S. Forest Service firefighters, scorched more than 41,000 acres, destroyed 34 homes and 20 outbuildings, killed livestock and damaged a highway.