Tioga Downs arsonist sentenced

OWEGO, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – The arsonist who killed 30 racehorses at Tioga Downs Casino received a maximum prison sentence.

In November, 33-year-old Boyd Fenton intentionally set fire to a barn at Tioga Downs that killed 30 racehorses and two cats.

On Friday, Fenton received a maximum sentence of 15 years in New York State Prison after pleading guilty to arson, assault and 30 other charges involving the injury to domesticated animals.

Dozens of people packed the Tioga County Court House in Owego, including horse owners and trainers, while only two people sat beside Fenton, his sister and his wife.

One horse owner, Mindy Findling Repko says she lost five horses in the fire, and it was as devastating as losing a family member.

“People keep saying, hopefully you get closure. I don’t know how you could get closure from this. It’s something that I personally live with every day. I wake up every morning and I hear my husband say the same words over and over again that he said the morning we got the call. The barn is on fire, they’re all gone. And I hear that whenever there’s quiet,” said Findling Repko.

Findling Repko gave testimony, and following her remarks, Fenton was asked to respond, but declined.

The entire sentencing took less than an hour.

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