Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Wildfire Suspect Charged in Heart Attack 'Murders'

Unusual case links arson to deaths

By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 23, 2009 4:13 AM CDT

(Newser) – California officials have taken the unusual step of charging a wildfire arson suspect with murder in the death of 5 people who suffered heart attacks escaping the flames. Prosecutors intend to prove the stress of the fire caused the deaths in the massive 2003 San... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

2 comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite

Oosp: Romney's New App Misspells 'America'

Associated Press (Source Grid »)

US • Health

California • crime • murder • heart attack • arson • California fires • California wildfires • San Bernardino

More Newser Stories

Man Torches Foreclosed Home, Shoots Himself, Wife

He threatens mayhem in 911 call

(NEWSER) - Economic hard times took a deadly turn when a soon-to-be-fired 60-year-old California man apparently torched his foreclosed home and shot himself and his wife. Authorities found the remains of two people in the ashes of the suburban San Diego home after the man called 911 to report that he had shot his wife and was going to burn down their home. A neighbor thought the homeowner was joking when he threatened to set his house ablaze, but then "we're smelling gasoline, so we knew that he wasn't messing around," he told the San Diego Union-Tribune . More»

Homeless Killer Suspect Accused of 2 More Murders

Itzcoatl Ocampo to be charged with stabbing Raquel Estrada, Juan Herrera

(NEWSER) - Authorities believe Itzcoatl Ocampo, the 23-year-old Iraq veteran charged with stabbing four homeless men to death in California, also killed two other people—ones that he knew. Ocampo will be charged today with the murders of Raquel Estrada, 53, and her 34-year-old son, Juan Herrera, the mother and brother of a friend Ocampo has known since high school. That friend, Eder Herrera, had originally been charged with the murders, but those charges were dropped Friday, CNN reports. More»

Serial Killer Stalking California Homeless

Three killed in 10 days in Orange County

(NEWSER) - Homeless Californians were packing shelters last night after discovering they're being stalked by a serial killer. The stabbing deaths of three homeless men in 10 days have been linked to a single "serious, dangerous serial killer operating in Orange County," police warn. A man wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt was seen on a video surveillance tape approaching a homeless man shortly before the victim's murder. A white, four-door Toyota can be seen parked nearby, and may be the killer's murder-spree transportation, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»

Cop Shot in Dad's Deadly Attack on Family

Baby girl found killed in father's truck at Calif. home

(NEWSER) - A California cop is hit in the neck in a dramatic video of a shootout outside a family home where a suicidal father killed his baby daughter and mother-in-law, according to investigators. Police officer Jarred Slocum can be seen sprinting to safety, clutching his neck, before collapsing on an El Cajon street. Gunman Kevin James Collier had opened fire on the officers responding to a domestic violence call, then ran into his home and set it ablaze, reports MSNBC . His body and his mother-in-law's were later discovered inside. Collier's 14-month-old baby daughter was found shot dead in his truck, reports the Daily Mail. More»

Dad Suspected of Killing Wife, 4 Kids

Stabbed kids, all under age of 8, found in torched home

(NEWSER) - An Oregon man stabbed his four children—all under the age of 8—and his wife before torching his house yesterday, police believe. Firefighters arrived to douse the flames after someone called in the fire around 9am, and found the family inside. They pulled the bodies onto the lawn and worked desperately to revive them, reports the AP . Jordan Adam Criado, 51, reportedly stayed inside as the house filled with smoke, but suffered only mild smoke inhalation. “It's an extremely tragic situation,” says the local district attorney. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Wildfire Suspect Charged in Heart Attack 'Murders'

Unusual case links arson to deaths

California • crime • murder • heart attack • arson • California fires • California wildfires • San Bernardino

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Man Torches Foreclosed Home, Shoots Himself, Wife

He threatens mayhem in 911 call

Homeless Killer Suspect Accused of 2 More Murders

Itzcoatl Ocampo to be charged with stabbing Raquel Estrada, Juan Herrera

Serial Killer Stalking California Homeless

Three killed in 10 days in Orange County

Cop Shot in Dad's Deadly Attack on Family

Baby girl found killed in father's truck at Calif. home

Dad Suspected of Killing Wife, 4 Kids

Stabbed kids, all under age of 8, found in torched home

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?