Jury finds Grady guilty of federal charges

GREEN BAY - A jury late Monday afternoon quickly found a Kaukauna man guilty of federal arson charges.

The federal trial for Francis Grady took just one day.

Grady was convicted of starting a fire at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Grand Chute this spring.

It took only a half an hour for jurors to convict Francis Grady.

Unlike previous court appearances, Grady walked quietly out of court and into the hands of authorities.

"It's difficult going to trial with a confession, but then again, I enjoyed working with Mr. Grady," explained Defense Attorney Tom Phillip. "He was difficult at the start, but was a good client by the end and so I think we had a good trial and a good relationship."

In April, Grady admitted to both FOX 11 and authorities to the crime.

He said he used a hammer to break the window on the Planned Parenthood clinic, poured gasoline from a plastic bottle and used a lighter to ignite a fire.

Cameras were not allowed in court, but Grady testified the details were "fuzzy."

Ultimately Grady says he set the fire to "release the souls of the children," killed through abortions.

Grady testified he'd "thought of those poor children for years." He said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to spark the fire. He said it came to him the afternoon of April 1, while at his friend's house.

Grady said he had a mixed drink of vodka and lemonade, but he was not intoxicated at the time of the arson.

That friend, Daniel Wolf, testified Grady "wasn't himself" while the two were drinking. He says Grady mentioned Planned Parenthood, saying he "wanted to blow it up." The friend testified Grady had never before mentioned Planned Parenthood or a pro-life agenda, and was generally "a good guy." The friend said Grady tried taking gas can from his garage before leaving his house, but the friend removed the can from Grady's van.

This same friend said he called Grand Chute police the next morning after seeing media coverage on the Planned Parenthood fire. He told the court Monday, "It was just too big of a coincidence."

Earlier in the afternoon, the prosecution showed videotape of this interview, in which Grady told the investigators, “I lit the clinic up. Just a little bit. There ain’t no damage to it."

In court Monday, Grady chuckled quietly to himself as he watched the video of his interrogation on the courtroom projection screen. He also muttered along with the video.

Other witnesses included fire and police investigators from Grand Chute as well as an FBI agent. A representative from Planned Parenthood also testified about the damage and the surveillance footage.

The video caught on the clinic’s surveillance camera was played in court. The video clearly depicted Grady’s van pulling into the parking lot. It then showed Grady getting out of the van, shattering the window with a hammer, pouring the contents of the water bottle filled with gasoline into the clinic, and igniting a lighter to start a fire.

"I'd just like to say, yes I know he did it, but it wasn't malicious, it wasn't premeditated or anything," said Grady's sister Anne Hoffmann.

Grady's sister said after court the incident was very out of character, and that he was a good brother.

"If you wanted something done, he'd come and help you, he would help anybody," Hoffmann said.

That may be so, but prosecutors say nothing excuses his actions.

"The jury did what they were supposed to do," explained Prosecutor Bill Roach. "They applied the facts to the law. I think the evidence was significant, and some might say overwhelming and they did their job. That's call you can expect the jury to do."

Grady is due back in court in October for sentencing.

He faces up to 21 years in federal prison.