The man accused of setting a fire that killed three people in Southeast D.C. had threatened the victims, court documents say. News4’s Mark Segraves reports.
A suspect was charged with murder and arson a day after two senior citizens and a woman in her 30s were killed in a house fire in Southeast D.C.
Robert Simpson, 56, was arrested and charged, D.C. police announced at a news conference Monday.
The fire early Sunday in the 3400 block of 23rd Street SE killed Margaret McKinnon, who was 84, Ronald McKinnon, who was 64, and Jessica Cunningham, who was 34.
Margaret McKinnon initially survived the fire and then died Monday morning, officials said.
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The suspect and Cunningham were in a prior relationship, police said they believe.
Chief of Police Pamela Smith called the tragedy the result of a domestic violence attack.
“It is clearly a case of domestic violence where three people lost their lives over a senseless interpersonal conflict,” she said.
The victims had told police the suspect had been threatened them and had started an earlier fire.
Police responded to the home 3 times before the fire
D.C. officials were called to the home three times in the hours before the fire. First, the residents reported at about 7:05 p.m. Saturday that someone broke a window. Police took a report, the suspect was no longer in the area and officers left, Capt. Jeffrey Wade said at the news conference.
About two hours later, at about 9 p.m., officers returned for a report of a fire at the rear of the house. They arrived and saw a fire in a trash can already was extinguished. The residents told police Simpson intentionally set the fire.
Overnight, at about 3:40 a.m. Sunday, a resident called police and said Simpson had assaulted her earlier that day. She had no signs of injury and did not need medical care, Wade said. Officers remained at the home for over an hour and relayed information about Simpson to patrol officers.
At about 5:30 a.m., D.C. Fire and EMS were called to the fire and arrived within minutes. The 64-year-old man and 34-year-old woman were pronounced dead, and the 85-year-old woman was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Simpson was found and arrested at about 6 a.m. in the 1500 block of Mississippi Avenue SE, about a mile away. He previously lived in the home where he set the fire, officials said.
“It’s truly a devastating event,” Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at the news conference. He said it’s been about 14 years since any fire in D.C. has killed so many people.
Investigators believe Simpson used some type of accelerant as he set the fire. The investigation is ongoing.
News4 asked why police didn’t stay at the house to try to ensure the victims’ safety.
The officers who responded to the house left because they needed to respond to other calls, Wade and Smith said.
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“We needed to put those units in service to answer radio calls,” Wade said.
Charging documents reveal Simpson had a history of domestic assault charges and the victims repeatedly told police they feared he would return to hurt them. Two of the victims told police hours before the fire that Simpson had threatened them, the documents say.
Simpson made an initial court appearance Monday afternoon.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
