> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Ex-Raider refutes arson paper trail - URL: https://www.smdp.com/ex-raider-refutes-arson-paper-trail/ - Published: 2004-06-05T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T04:30:37.000Z - Author: John Wood - Tags: Crime, Marina del Rey, #archive-import *Ex-Raiders standout reveals family members died in 1996 house fire* LAX COURTHOUSE — A former NFL player on trial for setting fire to a local business took the stand Friday, detailing for the first time how papers with his name and address might have found their way into the makeshift firebombs used to ignite the blaze. The documents may have been left in an alley by immigrant day laborers hired to help transport items between the defendant’s liquidation business and storage garage in Lancaster, and his condo in a Marina del Rey high-rise, lawyers suggested. Prosecutors have levied one count of arson against Anthony Wayne Smith, 36, for the February 2003 fire that gutted Simply Sofas and Lona Antiques on Lincoln Boulevard. Smith, a standout defensive end for the NFL’s Raiders in the 1990s, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. If convicted, he faces up to nine years behind bars. Smith had a dispute with the owner of the businesses shortly before the blaze. Investigators alleged he set fire to the building in a rage-filled act of revenge. Smith called that notion ludicrous, and said he didn’t know how his mail ended up in the firebombs. Michael Houchin, Smith’s lawyer, asked a string of questions Friday focused around two dates Smith visited Simply Sofas to pick up a check and leftover items he had asked be sold on consignment. The relationship between Smith and Marilyn Nelson, the owner of Simply Sofas, fell apart after one of Smith’s items ended up broken. Smith testified that on both Jan. 25 and Jan. 28 he hired day laborers from in front of the Home Depot in the Marina to help him move boxes and other items between his office and his storage space in Lancaster, and his condo. He stopped by Simply Sofas to pick up a check on Jan. 25, but was unable to take the leftover items because the truck was loaded down, he said. Smith said the truck was full again when he stopped by on Jan. 28, but it had been packed carefully with items to be thrown away — stickers, old jackets and other items — stacked on the back seat. The workers threw those items away behind Simply Sofas, but may have also mistakenly thrown away a box holding Smith’s mail, lawyers suggested. When the Raiders moved back to Oakland in the mid 1990s, Smith kept his address in the Marina, and a personal assistant took most of his mail to storage. Deputy District Attorney Jean Daly, who is prosecuting the case, tried to poke holes in that theory by firing repeated questions at Smith about the age, height, nationality, appearance and names of the workers on both days. Smith responded by saying he tries to hire workers “about” his age, and none stood higher than his chin. The 6’4” former player added that the workers called him “El Jefe” or “Amigo,” which mean “boss” and “friend,” respectively. He said he called them by the same names. Smith also offered an alternative explanation on Friday for an alleged admission of guilt prosecutors have repeatedly brought up in their case. Santa Monica Police Department Sgt. Robert Almada testified that when he showed Smith pictures of the partially burnt mailing labels left in the oversized water jugs, which were filled with gas to start the blaze, Smith dropped his head and began to weep, saying, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” But Smith said he never cried, and instead expressed condolences for firefighters who had to jump from the roof of the building to escape the growing fire. Smith said Almada told him the firefighters were injured, a contention Almada denies. Smith added a July, 1996 North Carolina house fire left his father severely burned, and killed his stepmother and stepsister. Prosecutors denied ever knowing that, though Smith maintained he had told Almada. When asked if he set the fire, Smith replied, “No sir, I did not.” Smith’s wife Teresa also testified Friday, saying Smith didn’t generally wake up in the middle of the night, and the night of the fire was no exception. Smith and his wife are regular churchgoers, and friends and religious leaders from St. Augustine’s By-the-Sea, an Episcopalian Church on Fourth Street in downtown Santa Monica, have been fixtures at the trial. Smith also volunteered much of his time to charities throughout Los Angeles. The case is expected to be handed to jurors on Monday, after lawyers deliver their closing arguments. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz, who is presiding over the matter at the Airport Courthouse near LAX, denied a motion by the defense to drop the case for lack of merit. The motion was made before Smith took the stand. With jurors out of the room, Judge Schwartz outlined several reasons why the case should go forward. First, he said at the time, no reason had been provided by the defense for why Smith’s mail was found in the firebombs used to ignite the blaze. “Who knows what goes through people’s minds or what sets them off,” he said. “There’s certainly strong evidence that connects him to this.” Judge Schwartz also pointed out that a potential motive existed in the case — revenge — and said the bombs, which were made out of five-gallon water jugs, could not have been easily handled by somebody of less stature. “Whoever did this had to have the physical ability to do it,” he said. “You’re not going to get a kid doing this and you’re not going to get an old lady doing this.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 5, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/060504.pdf?ref=smdp.com)