Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 73-year-old Santo Cok
of Buffalo has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to an
indeterminate sentence of 3 to 9 years in prison.]
On April 19, 2018, the defendant disconnected a gas line inside his Covington
Road home and lit a candle in attempt to destroy the house. The explosion caused a
fire, which spread throughout the North Buffalo house and damaged two
neighboring homes.
In October 2018, Cok pleaded guilty to one count of Arson in the Third Degree,
two counts of Arson in the Fourth Degree and one count of Reckless
Endangerment in the First Degree. The defendant pleaded guilty to all of the
charges in the indictment against him.
DA Flynn would like to commend all of the first responding members of the
Buffalo Fire Department and the Buffalo Police Department for their actions in this
dangerous situation. Also, DA Flynn would like to acknowledge the investigative
work of Captain Edwin Ortiz of the Buffalo Fire Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Nathanael C. Kapperman
and James M. Marra of the DA’s Felony Trials Bureau.
