Husband charged with murdering bed-ridden wife who died in house fire
LUCERNE VALLEY, Calif. -- Police say a California man has been charged with murder months after his bed-ridden wife died in a house fire.
Donald Wayne Jenman, 68, faces one count of murder in the April 19, 2016 death of his 56-year-old wife, Lynda Cestone, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said he set the fire that killed Cestone, who had been paralyzed and confined to her bed since suffering a stroke in 2010. At least a dozen cats also died in the blaze at the Lucerne Valley home, where officials said they found “hoarder” conditions that caused the flames to spread quickly, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Firefighters reportedly found Jenman outside the home suffering from smoke inhalation and burns and Cestone inside, dead. Arson investigators found a gas supply line disconnected, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Suspicious, they called homicide detectives to the scene.
Jenman was arrested Friday following a nearly eight-month investigation, reports the paper.