Webster teen accused of killing father, brothers in house fire appears in court | Crime

The teen accused of setting a fire that killed his father and two brothers stepped out of juvenile detention facility and into a courtroom Thursday morning.

Michael Pilato is charged with murder, attempted murder and arson.

Police say Pilato poured gasoline inside the family’s Webster home last December, intentionally setting it on fire.

Today, the defense contested evidence seized by police after the fire. They say someone not related to the family let them inside the house to collect Pilato's laptop and Playstation.

News10NBC spoke with Andre Vitale, Pilato’s attorney, after the court appearance today. He said how tough this has been on his client. “He's a good kid. He's obviously struggling with being away from his friends, being away from what he's used to doing on a daily basis. It's obviously very difficult for a 15 year old boy to be in that type of a setting. But he's getting through it as best he can, and he's working with me, and he's been very cooperative and very pleasant to deal with.”

Vitale says Pilato’s mother has visited him every week in jail. She was also in court today.

The judge did not make a decision on whether or not the evidence was collected properly. There will be a separate hearing for that later this week.

A hearing will be held in May to determine what statements can be used during Pilato's trial.