No-Contest Plea Made in Fatal Fire at Fraternity House

A 23-year-old man turned himself in to authorities Thursday and pleaded no contest to charges stemming from a Sept. 8 fire at a UC Berkeley fraternity house that killed three students.

Brian Hilton of Pleasanton surrendered to authorities at 2 p.m. and was immediately arraigned before Berkeley Municipal Court Judge Julie Conger. He pleaded no contest to one count of unlawfully starting a fire and three counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Sentencing was scheduled for April 16 in Alameda County Superior Court and bail was set at $10,000.

Hilton, who was not a student or a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, was visiting a friend who lived at the house, Police Capt. Phil Doran said during a news conference.

Hilton told investigators that he accidentally set a living room couch on fire with a butane lighter after a night of bar hopping, Doran said. He mistakenly thought he had patted the flames out and left the house, Doran said.

Police focused their investigation on Hilton after his friend at the fraternity named him as a suspect. Doran said the friend had urged Hilton to turn himself in.

Jim Giller, an Oakland lawyer defending Hilton, characterized his client as a “good, decent young man who feels very remorseful about this.”

Hilton was taken to City Jail, where bail was expected to be posted. His parents attended the hearing but had no comment.

Alameda County Assistant Dist. Atty. Stacy Walthall said Hilton could receive up to nine years in prison or be placed on probation with a possible County Jail term of one year.

The students who died in the fire were Natalia James, 19, of Portola Valley, Robert Sciutta, 21, of Lafayette and Ryan Hamilton, 19, of Sacramento.

The families of Hamilton and Sciutta attended the hearing.