A 31 year old Rochester woman accused of setting the fire that killed four of her children back in February took a plea deal on Friday, pleading guilty to four counts of second degree manslaughter, as well as charges of assault and arson.
By pleading to manslaughter, Kugler avoids the possibility of being convicted of the second degree murder charges she originally faced, which could have brought the possibility of a life sentence.
Under this plea, when Kugler is sentenced in January, she will face a sentence of 7 to 15 years in prison.
Kugler admitted to starting the fire in a house on Grape Street on February 18th by burning pictures of her boyfriend and tossing them on a dresser.
She also admitted drinking several bottles of malt liquor that night as well as taking sleeping pills.
Kugler sobbed through the entire proceeding on Friday morning while Monroe County Court Judge Doug Randall asked her questions to make sure she knew what she was pleading to.
Kugler was not accused of trying to intentionally kill 14 year old Gage Reavey, 13 year old Greg Kugler, 12 year old Kandee Kugler and 6 year old Kaiden Kugler. But the charges do allege she recklessly caused the death of her kids while committing another felony, arson, when she burned those pictures.
