Hutchinson teen to be tried as adult in arson deaths of mom, sister

A Hutchinson teen accused of killing his mother and younger sister by setting fire to his family’s home last fall will be prosecuted as an adult.

Sam Vonachen, 15, is expected to make his first appearance in Reno County court at 11 a.m. Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated arson, Reno County District Attorney Keith Schroeder said in a news release.

Vonachen originally was charged as a juvenile in the Sept. 26, 2013, deaths of his mother, 47-year-old Karla Vonachen, and his 11-year-old sister, Audrey, and of the attempted murder of his father, Steven Vonachen. But a judge granted prosecutors’ requests to charge the teen as an adult.

Moving the case from juvenile court to adult court makes Sam Vonachen eligible for stiffer penalties, if convicted.

He remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bond, Schroeder said. Wednesday’s hearing will take place before District Judge Trish Rose.

Sam Vonachen is accused of pouring gasoline in several ground-floor rooms of his family’s two-story home and setting it ablaze while his mother, father and sister slept upstairs.

Karla and Audrey Vonachen were found alive in a bedroom together but died at local hospitals later that day. Steven Vonachen also was home at the time of the fire but escaped.

Sam Vonachen was arrested several hours after the fire, when he returned to the house. He was 14 at the time.

In a motion last fall, Schroeder wrote that the teen told authorities he set the fire in a way that would trap his family in the house and that he was unemotional about his mother’s and sister’s deaths.

Vonachen’s attorney argued that the case should remain closed because of the teen’s age and to preserve his right to a fair trial.

This story was originally published October 14, 2014 at 6:39 PM with the headline "Hutchinson teen to be tried as adult in arson deaths of mom, sister."