3 Charged In Connection With Deadly Fire In Lowell
LOWELL (CBS) – Three people have been charged in connection with a deadly fire in Lowell last month. Investigators said the fire at 98 Westford Street on February 10 was intentionally set using a lighter and trash bag.
The Middlesex District Attorney announced 20-year-old Julian Boykins and 16-year-old Alexander Gaye of Lowell have been charged with murder, arson, assault to murder, intimidation of a witness and conspiracy.
Tanya Karadanis, 19 of Dracut, has been charged with evidence tampering and conspiracy. Boykins allegedly told Karadanis to remove the SIM card from his phone and destroy it in an attempt to get rid of evidence.
Boykins and Karadanis were arrested Thursday. Police are still searching for Alexander Gaye.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said surveillance video shows Boykins and Gaye near the Westford Street home the night of the fire. "Subsequent investigation showed that Boykins and Gaye traveled to that apartment with the intent to set fire and the method of setting that fire was by using a cigarette lighter applied to a trash bag," Ryan said.
The fire quickly spread and resulted in the death of third floor resident 77-year-old Em Chak, injured three other tenants, two Lowell firefighters and one police officer. More than 50 people were displaced.
Lowell police officers and firefighters rescued several people. Julie Collentro recalls throwing her two-year-old child out of the window to officers to save both of their lives.
"I don't think there's any justice they can get," Collentro said. "They literally ruined our lives." Collentro said she does not know what their intentions were.
Karadanis was arraigned Thursday and released on $5,000 cash bail. Boykins is expected to be arraigned Friday in Lowell District Court.