Washougal update: Case ruled a murder-suicide; suspect dead

Posted in Related Deaths

12-10-2011 Washington:

Deputies said Saturday the Washougal house fire and gunfire-filled standoff has been ruled a murder-suicide and that homeowner and suspect Steven Stanbary is believed dead.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office issued a release saying the heavily burned remains of at least two people have not been positively identified, but it’s believed Stanbary is one of them.

“Based upon the totality of information known to detectives at this time, investigators believe strongly that Steve Stanbary is the suspect and this his remains have likely been recovered,” the press release said.

Investigators believe Stanbury is dead because of circumstantial evidence and identifying items found close to the body. Physical evidence and video also show that Stanbary was found in one portion of the residence, while other remains were found on the opposite side of the house, said Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Allais.

Man took his own life in deadly duplex fire

3-1-2011 Georgia:

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- A man who was killed in a deadly duplex fire over the weekend apparently took his own life.

"Investigators found evidence to indicate that the man used gasoline to ignite the blaze which claimed his life," Gwinnett County Fire Department spokesman Tommy Rutledge said in a statement on Tuesday.

Earlier in the week, the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner identified the man as Kevin Haynes. On Tuesday, Gwinnett County Police confirmed he was a registered sex offender.

A passerby first noticed the duplex fire on Curtis Road at about 6 p.m. Sunday. When firefighters arrived, they found Hayne's body on a couch in the living room.

"[He] did not appear to have been trying to escape from the home," Rutledge said.

The medical examiner determined Haynes died of smoke and soot inhilation.

No one else was hurt in the fire. ..Source.. by Ron Nakfoor

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Fatal duplex fire victim ID’d

LAWRENCEVILLE — Officials on Monday identified the man found dead in a Lawrenceville duplex fire Sunday evening as Kevin Haynes, 26.

Firefighters found Haynes’ body when they responded about 6 p.m. to a one-story duplex in the 50 block of Curtis Road, off Hurricane Shoals Road near downtown Lawrenceville.

A cause of death had not been determined early Monday, said Ted Bailey, chief forensic investigator with the Gwinnett Medical Examiner’s Office.

A passerby reported the fire, and responding fire crews found Haynes’ body inside among heavy smoke and heat. Haynes is believed to have lived at the residence, where damages were mostly contained to contents inside the unit. Nobody else was home, officials said.

The fire was brought under control at 6:28 p.m. No other injuries were reported, and the adjoining unit was spared from damages, said Fire Department spokesman Capt. Thomas Rutledge.

Circumstances surrounding the fire are under investigation, Rutledge said. ..Source.. by Josh Green, Staff Writer

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Man took his own life in deadly duplex fire

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- A man who was killed in a deadly duplex fire over the weekend apparently took his own life.

"Investigators found evidence to indicate that the man used gasoline to ignite the blaze which claimed his life," Gwinnett County Fire Department spokesman Tommy Rutledge said in a statement on Tuesday.

Earlier in the week, the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner identified the man as Kevin Haynes. On Tuesday, Gwinnett County Police confirmed he was a registered sex offender.

A passerby first noticed the duplex fire on Curtis Road at about 6 p.m. Sunday. When firefighters arrived, they found Hayne's body on a couch in the living room.

"[He] did not appear to have been trying to escape from the home," Rutledge said.

The medical examiner determined Haynes died of smoke and soot inhilation.

No one else was hurt in the fire. ..Source.. by 11Alive.com

GA- Domestic fight ends in death

6-5-2006 Georgia:

A registered sex offender living in Register killed himself Wednesday afternoon after setting his home on fire, investigators said. Robert Antonio Thompson, 30, Triple T Road, ran from responding law enforcement officers after his wife called for help, said Bulloch County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Gene McDaniel. The woman, whom investigators did not name, picked Thompson up Wednesday afternoon from Denmark Street in Statesboro, and stopped at a convenience store in Register on the way home, he said.

At The Store in Register (the name of the convenience store), the couple argued. They had been separated for about a month, he said. However, it was unclear what caused the disagreement, he said. After returning home a few miles away from the store, Thompson’s wife called law enforcement, he said. When Bulloch County Sheriff’s Capt. Lee Harris arrived at the Triple T Road home around 4:30 p.m., Thompson fled into the woods, he said. “That’s when Capt. Harris realized the mobile home was on fire,” McDaniel said.

Harris called for firefighters and for backup to locate Thompson. Local businessman Ellis Wood, who often assists law enforcement, arrived by helicopter to help officers in the search for Thompson while firefighters extinguished the blaze, McDaniel said. The mobile home, which was empty except for a small dog, was gutted, he said. The dog escaped the blaze uninjured. A short time later, Wood spotted Thompson’s body behind the home, he said. “He had apparently placed a pistol to his head and shot himself.”

Thompson was convicted of rape in August, 1996, according to information from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Department web site (www.bullochsheriff.com). He was also convicted in 1997 of criminal interference with government property, obstruction and underage possession of alcohol, serving a five-year sentence and released in August, 2001, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections web site. ..Source.. by HOLLI DEAL BRAGG

DE- Suspect in sexual assault perishes in fire

5-25-2008 Delaware:

A man died Saturday when a mobile home caught fire after police received a report about a sexual assault there, officials said.

Troopers were on their way to the mobile home near Frederica to investigate the alleged assault when they received word that it was on fire, said Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh, a Delaware State Police spokesman.

Firefighters pulled Derek Hawkins, 36, out of the burning home and took him to Kent General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Whitmarsh said.

Hawkins lived in the High Point Mobile Home Park, near U.S. 113, Whitmarsh said.

Police received word about the assault allegation when the mother of the alleged 16-year-old victim called them at 11:47 a.m.

The girl told her mother Saturday morning that Hawkins had assaulted her within the past several weeks, Whitmarsh said.

After the mother called police, she called Hawkins to say police were on their way to his house, Whitmarsh said.

It was shortly after that call -- just after noon -- that the mobile home caught fire, Whitmarsh said.

The girl and her mother were taken to the state police station in Camden as part of the investigation.

The fire damage was estimated at $30,000, according to the state fire marshal.

There were two operating smoke alarms inside the home, the fire marshal reported.

One other trailer was damaged but the residents of that trailer were able to return to their home, said Michael Chionchio, assistant state fire marshal.

The American Red Cross is assisting the one adult and four children who were displaced, Chionchio said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Chionchio said. So is the investigation into the assault and death, police said.

An autopsy is scheduled for today. ..News Source.. by Aaron Nathans




Investigators: Kent man set fire that killed him

6-3-2008 Delaware:

A Kent County area man who died in a fire last month deliberately set the fire himself, state fire officials said today.

Derek N. Hawkins, 36, died in the May 24 fire in the first block of Sycamore Drive in the High Point Mobile Home Park in Little Heaven.

Assistant State Fire Marshal Michael Chinochio said fire investigators found several fires had been started inside the dwelling by Hawkins, trapping him inside the burning home.

He was found by firefighters unconscious in a bathroom.

He was taken to Kent General Hospital, where he died.

Chinochio said Hawkins had been involved in a domestic dispute with family members prior to the fire and became violent.

State troopers were on their way to the mobile home to investigate an alleged sexual assault when they received word that it was on fire, said state police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh.

Police received word about the assault allegation when the mother of the alleged 16-year-old victim called them.

The girl told her mother that Hawkins had assaulted her within the past several weeks, Whitmarsh said.

Chinochio said there were operating smoke alarms inside the trailer, but Hawkins was the only one inside when the fire ignited.

Damage was estimated at $30,000.

Hawkins’ death is the fifth fire fatality in Delaware this year. ..News Source.. by Terri Sanginiti

SC- Children's throats slashed in S.C. fire..

Posted in Related Deaths

8-10-2004 South Carolina:

ROCK HILL - Three children who were found dead in a Monday housefire were murdered, authorities announced today.

The three children, tentatively identified as Jairo, Denise and Denia Meza all died from having their throats slashed, York County authorities said.

Two adults also found dead at the scene died of smoke inhalation and burns, according to York County Coroner Doug McKown.

The father, Jose Denis Meza, 39, was positively identified from fingerprints. The mother has been tentatively identified as Marbely Zeldon Meza, 30.

Authorities said they believe either the mother or the father killed the three children.

The body of the adult female, believed to be the mother, had knife wounds that could have incapacitated her, officials said.

Meza was charged July 16 with fondling his eldest daughter and had been ordered to move out of the home. He was scheduled to appear in court Monday on the sexual molestation charges. ..more.. by Dan Huntley

Man kills self after resisting arrest

Note: He was not accused of another sex crime.
1-17-2008 Maine:

WILLIMANTIC — A man who'd eluded arrest for two years took his own life when officers closed in on his camper on a secluded mountain ridge about a mile and a half from the nearest road, authorities said.

Officers trying to arrest Roberto Morales on Wednesday saw the curtains inside the camper burst into flames, then heard two gunshots.

Local firefighters were unable to get near the trailer because "thousands of rounds of ammunition" along with an oxygen tank used for welding and propane tanks were exploding, according to officers at the scene.

"There was popping noises and a big whoosh with fireballs coming," said Lt. Robert Young of the Piscataquis County Sheriff's Department.

Morales, 29, was wanted on charges of burglary and theft, as well as possession of a gun by a felon, authorities said.

Acting on information, two investigators snowshoed Wednesday to a remote area where Morales was believed to be living. They found an empty trailer but followed snowmobile tracks leading to the camper deep in the woods, Young said.

The two intended to keep Morales under surveillance but Morales' German shepherd alerted him to the presence of the officers.

Morales went back inside after telling officers that he "needed time to think about it" after being informed that he was under arrest.

About five minutes later, officers noticed a curtain on fire and then the officers heard two gunshots inside the camper, Young said. They believe Morales shot himself and his dog after setting the fire that consumed them both, he said. ..more.. by The Associated Press wire report



Facing arrest, man kills himself
1-17-2008 Maine:

WILLIMANTIC, Maine - A local man reportedly committed suicide Wednesday in a bizarre way on a remote mountain ridge about a mile and a half from the nearest road.

Roberto Morales, 29, set his small tagalong camper on fire and then shot himself inside the camper as officers were attempting to arrest him on several outstanding warrants, according to police.

"We were concerned about what may happen when he was confronted because of his previous threats, but we were still hoping for a peaceful resolution," Lt. Robert Young of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.

Morales, who had several outstanding felony warrants for his arrest including burglary and theft, some of which were two years old, had reportedly told people in the past that he wanted to kill cops, Young said. Morales also was a convicted sexual predator, he said.

Acting on information, investigators Sgt. Michael Gould and Guy Dow snowshoed Wednesday to a remote area off Route 150 where Morales was believed to be living. When they arrived at the trailer where he reportedly lived once before, they found no one there, but did find snowmobile tracks leading into the woods, Young said.

The officers followed the snowmobile tracks to another trailer located deeper into the forest, according to Young. If they found Morales, Gould and Dow had planned to keep him under surveillance until a team of other officers could arrive to assist in the arrest.

Morales had been successful in eluding police over the years, in part because his German shepherd alerted him when officers neared, Young said.

It was Morales’ dog that tipped him off Wednesday. Young said he didn’t think Morales had been aware the officers were in the vicinity until he let his dog outside. The dog immediately went for Gould and Gould in turn hollered to Morales to call off his dog, the officer said.

Morales reportedly called his dog back inside and asked the officers to come inside to talk with him. He also allegedly told them he had enough explosives to blow off the top of the mountain, according to Young.

Believing the camp may be bobby-trapped, the officers stayed back from the camper until backup arrived. About 10 minutes later after being told that he was under arrest, Morales told the officers "he needed time to think about it" and he shut the door, the officer said.

About five minutes later, Gould noticed a curtain on fire and then the officers heard two gunshots inside the camper. Morales had set his place on fire and they believed he had shot himself, Young said.

Local firefighters were called to the scene but no one could get near the trailer because "thousands of rounds of ammunition" along with an oxygen tank used for welding and propane tanks were exploding, according to officers at the scene.

"There was popping noises and a big whoosh with fireballs coming," Young recalled.

The trailer was destroyed.

To make sure Morales hadn’t set the fire and fired the gun to distract and elude police again, game wardens did a complete perimeter check for tracks but found none. Morales and his dog had died inside the camper, Young said.

The Maine State Police tactical team was on call during the incident and an explosives team remained on standby, according to the officer.

The investigation has been turned over to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. ..more.. by Diana Bowley

Cigarette, oxygen appear to have caused Gaston camper trailer fire

6-29-2007 South Carolina:

GASTON, SC (WIS) - A 60-year-old has died in a camper trailer fire that officials say involved the combination of a lit cigarette and the man's nearby oxygen.

The pathologist who performed the autopsy found no evidence of foul play.

Many knew Kevin Griffin around Gaston as the man who ran a roadside peanut stand.

A couple of hours after the fire was out, firefighters still had to hose down the wreckage of Kevin Griffin's trailer. The blaze killed Griffin and Blue, his dog. Both were dead before anyone could get to them.

Timothy Anglin of the Gaston Police Department says the structure was "nothing but fire and smoke. I could see smoke from Highway 321 as I was responding. But it was fully engulfed. What you see is what I pretty much rolled up on, just picture flames all up in it."

His landlord says Griffin had lived in the trailer since the mid-90's. Before that, Griffin lived in a house at the same location. That house off Gaston Street was also destroyed by fire.

Much of his time at the Gaston Street location, he made money selling boiled peanuts, blankets and other items on the roadsides around Gaston.

The 60-year-old suffered from lung disease and had to use a motorized wheelchair. A friend says Griffin's doctor had told him he had only months to live. Friends say Griffin was a heavy smoker.

Landlord Emily Baughman says Griffin would often smoke while using an oxygen tank, and didn't seem to be concerned about the risk of an explosion. She lives next door. "Yes, it worried me. Because I said Kevin, it just shortens your life. He said, 'Well, I ain't got no life anyway.' That's the answer he would give me. I said, 'Oh, my God man, please. Let's live as long as we can.'"

Anglin says, "And as I responded on the scene, there was a couple of mini-explosions also with some flare-ups from the flames."

Friends say Griffin was a good-natured man. Some also knew he had a dark side.

In 1975, he was convicted of rape in Charleston County. His conviction for first degree criminal sexual conduct is listed on the state's sex offender web site. His landlord told WIS News 10 that Griffin admitted serving a lengthy prison term.

But his refusal to stop smoking near an oxygen tank might have bothered them just as much. George Lever says, "We all told him what ... you know, fire and oxygen didn't mix."

Griffin had no immediate family in the area. A sister from Connecticut is said to be on the way to handle funeral arrangements. ..more.. by Jack Kuenzie