Charges against a man accused of starting a fire on Yates Street that killed an 8-year-old girl over 20 years ago have been dismissed, following his arrest late last year.
Timothy Kuhn was accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of Savannah Streber on Feb. 24, 2004, setting the deadly fire. Streber’s mother, Lisa Routier, had a no-contact order of protection against Kuhn at the time, and he became the lone suspect.
But a dearth of evidence prevented an arrest.
Then in December 2024, Rochester police said they had gathered enough evidence to arrest Kuhn at his home in Holmes County, Florida. He was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal Service, and arraigned on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree arson.
But last week, a former cellmate of Kuhn’s testified that he told officers with the Rochester Police Department back in 2005 that Kuhn confessed to killing Streber. That information was never acted upon.
In light of that evidence, state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Miller ruled that any evidence presented now would be the same as gathered in 2005, thus violating Kuhn’s constitutionally protected right to a speedy trial. He dismissed the indictment on Monday.
“I cannot imagine how frustrating and painful today’s events must be for the family of Savannah Streber,” Monroe County District Attorney Brian Green said in a statement. “It is heartbreaking that there can be no accountability for Savannah’s death.”
The Rochester Police Department said it is reviewing its record-keeping policy in order to prevent future incidents from occurring.
“Despite today’s deeply saddening setback, our Major Crimes Unit will continue to investigate cold cases and will do everything within our power to hold violent offenders accountable for their actions,” the statement reads. “Our hearts go out to the Streber family during this difficult time.”
