North Texas Woman Arrested For Arson That Sent 6 Running For Their Lives & Killed 73-Year-Old
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) — A North Texas woman has been arrested and charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting a fire that ended with the death of an elderly man.
It was on the morning of July 12 when the Fort Worth Fire Department received a 911 call reporting a fire in the 3200 block of Knox Street. When firefighters arrived at the one-story house that was fully engulfed witnesses told them someone could possibly be trapped inside the home.
It took firefighters, operating several hose lines, nearly 10 minutes to search the home and find a male victim. Paramedics began CPR on the patient, later identified as Sammie Lee Brown, but he later was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Two-dozen firefighters continued to battle the fire before getting it under control after about half an hour.
In addition to the 73-year-old victim who died, there were six other adults asleep inside the home when the fire broke out. All of those people were able to get out of the home safely after one person awoke to the smell of smoke.
After extinguishing the flames investigators with the Fort Worth Fire Department processed the scene and determined the fire was intentionally set.
Three days after the fire, on July 15, Latisha Renee Davis was arrested for the arson and death. Bond for the 22-year-old has been set at $250,000.
"Using fire as a weapon is not a new criminal tactic. It has been around for hundreds of years and I can't think of a more heinous way to commit a crime," said FWFD Chief Jim Davis.