Do you know who started the fire that killed 17 year old Jeffrey Aissa in 2011? In the early morning hours of Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 2011, a fast-moving fire engulfed the home of the Aissa family at 20 Milford Street in Binghamton, New York. Inside, 17-year-old Jeffrey Aissa, a White male, was tragically killed. While six other family members managed to escape the blaze that started around 3:30 a.m., Jeffrey was unable to make it out of the burning house.
The fire, which was later determined to have been intentionally set in a recycling bin on the front porch, left a family devastated and a community searching for answers.
For over a decade, the case remained a painful cold case for the Binghamton Police Department and a source of constant fear and grief for Jeffrey's mother, Maureen Aissa, and her family. They tirelessly worked to keep Jeffrey's memory alive and the investigation in the public eye through flyers and ribbons, all while grappling with the unknown identity of the person responsible for their loss. The breakthrough in the long-stalled investigation came years later, stemming from a confession made by the perpetrator to his then-girlfriend.
In March 2023, more than twelve years after the fatal fire, authorities arrested Jeremiah J. Raub of New Milford, Pennsylvania. The arrest was the culmination of years of detective work, kickstarted when Raub's ex-girlfriend, Nicole Manderville, shared information with a subsequent boyfriend who then relayed it to one of Jeffrey's brothers. Manderville testified that days after the fire, Raub had confessed to her that he had set it. After his arrest, Raub also provided a detailed confession to the police.
Jeremiah Raub was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson. His first trial ended in a hung jury. However, a second trial found him guilty on one count of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree arson. Following his conviction, Raub was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. For Jeffrey Aissa's family, the conviction and sentencing brought a sense of justice and a measure of relief after years of uncertainty and pain, though the profound loss of their son remains.
