Everett arsonist sentenced to decade in prison for deadly 1987 fire Ryan Simms Thirty-four years after an Everett firefighter died in an arson case, the man who confessed to setting that fire is finally headed to prison. Elmer Nash will serve a 10-year prison sentence. Additionally, he faces a lifetime of community supervision once he’s released from prison. During his sentencing, Nash was overcome with emotion as he addressed the family of firefighter Gary Parks. Nash’s attorneys argued he was an abused, neglected 12-year-old when he deliberately lit a fire at Everett Community College in 1987. Parks responded to that blaze and lost his life in the process.