2nd suspect arrested in triple homicide case at a Phoenix-area apartment, police say

2024-12-26 20:48:05 source:lotradecoin staking and earning rewards category:Contact

AHWATUKEE, Ariz. (AP) — A second suspect has been arrested in connection with a triple homicide case in the Phoenix suburb of Ahwatukee, authorities said Wednesday.

Phoenix police said a woman and two men were found dead on July 15 inside an apartment after an early morning fire that appeared to have been deliberately set.

Dorian Rice, 53, was arrested Tuesday and has been booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree felony murder and armed robbery, police said. He did not immediately have a lawyer for his case.

Last Friday, Chase Christman, 30, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of murder and one count of misconduct involving weapons in the case, according to police. His bond has been set at $5 million.

Christman is awaiting his initial court appearance, and messages were left Wednesday seeking comment from the public defender representing Christman.

A Phoenix police spokesman, Sgt. Robert Scherer, said Wednesday that Rice has “admitted to driving Christman to the residence to commit a planned robbery of the victims.” He also said Rice admitted to driving Christman from the scene after the killings.

RELATED COVERAGE Connecticut woman found dead hours before she was to be sentenced for killing her husband Inmate van escape trial starts for Tennessee man facing sexual assault allegations Andrew Tate’s defamation lawsuit against human trafficking accuser can go to trial, judge says

The dead were identified as Merissa Honeycutt, 27; Anthony Frederickson-Ceccarelli, 25; and Samuel Lott, 37. Their bodies were found inside a second-floor bedroom of the three-level apartment complex in Ahwatukee, about 13 miles (20 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix.

Authorities said all three had obvious signs of trauma unrelated to the fire, which police believe was set to cover up the killings. Officials haven’t immediately released a cause of death for the victims.

More:Contact

Recommend

Lil Durk suspected of funding a 2022 murder as he seeks jail release in separate case

As rapper Lil Durk seeks to be freed from jail on a $3 million bond, prosecutors charging him with a

The University of Hawaii is about to get hundreds of millions of dollars to do military research

The University of Hawaii is poised to renew a controversial contract to conduct research for the U.S

Funds are cutting aid for women seeking abortions as costs rise

Organizations that help pay abortion costs are capping how much they can help as travel costs rise a