Lon Coldiron was convicted of the Coffee & arson! Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard at rebuilding the case years after the fact. I am so pleased with this verdict. I always knew that one way or another justice would be served, but I never imagined that because of Lon's stupidity and arrogance he would put himself on trial a second time when he got off so easily at the first. I am really dumbfounded by this all. This really exemplifies to me that it can take a long time for a prayer to be answered, I spent many hours chanting about this situation. Here is a journal of mine three years ago about my anger towards the first verdict.

Coffee shop owner convicted of arson
By Matt Gryta
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
July 28, 2009, 7:02 AM / 3 comments


Buffalo coffee shop owner Lon Coldiron was convicted Monday night of third-degree arson and second-degree attempted grand larceny in the October 2004 fire that destroyed his business and killed one of his three pet dogs.

The jury found Coldiron, 43, not guilty of attempted third-degree grand larceny. Erie County Judge Thomas P. Franczyk set bail at $50,000 and scheduled sentencing for Sept. 4.

Coldiron, 43, did not testify or present any alibi witnesses during the two-week trial, his second in connection with the fire that destroyed Coffee &, his shop at 718 Elmwood Ave.

Three years ago, Coldiron was convicted only of attempted grand larceny and placed on probation. He was granted a new trial 12 months ago by the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court because of jury misconduct during deliberations before then-County Judge Timothy J. Drury.

The appellate court stressed that while it found "legally sufficient" evidence to support the arson and attempted insurance fraud charges, a new trial was warranted because of misconduct by unidentified jurors who sneaked legal documents into the deliberation room.

"The jury's possession of that written material" warranted a trial reversal, the Rochester court ruled, upholding arguments by Buffalo Legal Aid Bureau appeals attorney Nicholas T. Texido.

Prosecutors Mark A. Sacha and Amy B. Benedict proved Coldiron had applied for about $290,000 in business insurance on the shop about a month before the fire and that he had been awaiting an insurance company inspection of his business at the time of the arson.

The prosecutors also cited evidence of Coldiron had gambling casino debts at the time.

John K. Jordan, Coldiron's attorney, contended his client, who lived in a third-floor flat above the shop and had to leap to the roof of an adjoining business to escape the flames, had "cooperated fully with the investigation" of the arson.

Days after the fire, neighbors staged a benefit for Coldiron.

mgryta@buffnews.com

When I die...

I hope that it doesn't take long before anyone notices. Last night (e:mike) and I were at Cathode Ray and witnessed the removal of a body that had gone unnoticed for ~8days. It was in the apartment across the street from the bar right above the grocery store. I always noticed the stained glass window hangings in the windows so I think the person had lived there for a long time. I hope that someone will come and claim their things and remember who this person was.

I also hope that when I die I get buried wrapped in a white sheet without being embalmed. No formaldehyde! I want a quick burial with no autopsy. If I am dead I am dead and it really shouldn't matter why unless of course it was because somebody killed me or it was something suspicious or unknown. I really don't want a coffin unless it is papermaché. I really believe in being returned to the earth naturally. I want to decompose and become become soil so that I can continue to be a part of the cycle.

Also it would be preferable if my body were somewhere beautiful and clean. My memorial would be done at the SGI Buffalo Community Center. I want pictures of me and pictures that I have taken to be displayed. I really don't care for a public viewing of my body but if anybody wanted to view me for whatever reason I think it should be permitted. My parents would decide what is done with my things but would be advised by those closest in my life as to who gets what.

If an organ or two could be used to save somebody's life I wouldn't mind but I don't want a free for all. This isn't a buffet.

I ripped my only (wearable) pair of jeans right up the side. This was right after I whizzed by (e:james) and right in front of (e:lauren) and (e:fellyconnelly)'s place. My pant leg got stuck in my gear sprocket. Funny thing is just yesterday I got a pair of "work dungarees" from Carhart. I like them but they are so stiff and need to be broken in. Also I am worried they are going to shrink but I don't know if they will shrink because they are pre-washed. I think it is good that they are snug around the waste because it will keep me in shape if I want to wear them. I just don't get why sizes are not more universal and why when you order the same size waist they can vary by so much.

I just got two new pairs of kicks from zappos.com. I love that site because they never really seem to f it up and their service is so easy and fast. Maybe bad for my carbon footprint, but if the malls would sell what I want, than maybe I wouldn't have to order online. I have looked for jeans for quite a long time but can't find any at the malls that I am really happy with. I am prepared to spend up to $100 but preferably cheaper than that. Does anyone know of a good place online I can find quality, good fit, non ripped, no faded horizontal striped jeans?

So now things that I need/want for my bike:

Rack- Want
Tires-Need
U lock-Want
Helmet-Want
Camera bag for handle bars-Want

I could probably list other stuff but that is all good for now. I really want the rack and tires first for an upcoming bike trip. They are expensive and now I have to go and buy jeans...

I just hate everything about them. Their furniture looks cheap but it is not. They also send huge catalogs all the time to people that obviously don't want to order. My roommate ordered one thing from them a year ago and has kept on getting a catalog just about every other week. I finally just took the liberty of removing him from their mailing list.

F U POTTERY BARN. If I ever have money I certainly would not want my house to look like one of your wretched catalogs.

So my friend Kathy came today to hypnotize me for smoking cessation. It was pretty awesome. I like the whole process really. I was totally conscious of everything. First she had me close my eyes and then she had me relax all of my muscles in my head one by one. Then I was going deeper and deeper down these stairs and once I got to the bottom she planted the suggestions. I think they had an effect on me but it is still too soon to tell. It did seem that there was an immediate aversion to ever filling my lungs with the cigarette smoke again. She is coming again next week to do another session. She said it doesn't work for long the first try, that it really should be done more than once. Since she is going to do all the sessions for free-- why not?

She also can teach me to do self-hypnosis. I did try hypnosis tapes (I think I was a teen) a while back and I did like doing them. It was weird because a lot of it was the same but I definitely liked it a lot better with Kathy. The next time is supposed to be a deeper hypnosis and generally work better.

I made dinner. Organic chicken thighs with homemade honey mustard dipping sauce. Also served tortellini salad, grilled veggies and salad. Finished with Stony Field Farms after dark chocolate ice cream (thanks S) along with vegan cookie.