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4Report, Fire Inspections Chief E. P. Rich 4Report, Fire Investigator G. Stonesifer 4Report, Fire Investigator E. B. Harris
Report, Fire Inspections Chief E. P. Rich
1
FIRE INVESTIGATION # 95/104
On October 9, 1995, I responded to a
report of a house fire at 2104 Brandon Station Court in the Pleasant
Garden Fire District.
Upon arriving on the scene I reported
to Chief Jim Vickrev, officer in charge of fireground operation.
After talking with Chief Vickrev I began an investigation into the
origin and cause of the fire.
This was a one story frame dwelling,
two bedrooms, study, kitchen, living room and two full baths.
Attached to the east end of the dwelling was a two car open ended
garage. Construction for this type dwelling was found to be normal.
Furnishings for this dwelling was found to be normal. And note as
follows, in the kitchen, living room, bathrooms and bedroom adjacent
to the living room. Master bedroom and adjacent study on westward
end appeared to be ransacked. Master bedroom was totally upset,
dresser drawers were pull out, contents strowed on flooring, bed
mattress was laying on the foot and to the side of the bed Kitchen
door and jam showed sign of forced entry.
Fire had heavily damaged the
dwelling, the entire interior charred with smoke and heat damage.
Upon further examination of the interior, I found a fire pattern
what was determined to be a liquid accelerant pour in the kitchen,
into the living room floor onto an area rug, over the couch in the
living room and down the hallway to an area of very deep charring in
which a body was also located. The pour pattern stopped at this
point. Fire damage in this area had destroyed the flooring and
support structure, it had burned the body beyond recognition. The
charred body was found face down laying on metal duct work located
in the crawl space under the dwelling. Head was toward the master
bedroom and feet were found toward the kitchen, in an east to west
direction.
The amount of damage and spread of
fire could only be caused by a large volume of an accelerant being
poured around or onto the body located in the hallway.
Summary: This fire was not an
accidental fire is was incendiary!
þ
Initial
o
Change
GUILFORD COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES
Investigator: Rich
Date: 10-09-95
Time: 21:31
Photo #: 95/094
Invest. #: 95/104
Time: 20:46
Day: (02)
District: 03
Alarm #: 07070
Grid #: F03
Cause of Fire: Incendiary (09)
Injuries: 0
# of Deaths: 1
Address 2104 Brandon Station
Court
Address: 2104 Brandon Station
Court
Amt. Ins. on Contents:
Insurance Company:
Policy Number:
Insurance Company on Contents
Policy Number:
Issue Date:
Phone #:
Make:
Model:
License No.:
State:
Size (MH):
Extent of Burn:
Heating: Gas Furnace
Cooking: Electric Stove
Fire Investigation Report Page 2 Fire Discovered By: Ruben Blakely Fire Reported by: Ruben Blakely Outside Agencies Assisting with Investigation: Guilford County Sheriff's Department Was Evidence Removed from Scene: þ Yes o No - If Yes, Complete Evidence Form
Persons Interviewed: Name/Sex/Race/DOB
Disposition of Investigation: Was Arrest Made: o Yes o No o N/A If yes, list all charges:
Date of Arrest: Court Date: Postponed Until: Postponed Until:
Action taken by Courts: Dismissed oYes oNo Convicted oYes oNo Plea Bargin oYes oNo
SPECIAL REMARKS:
Report, Fire Investigator G. Stonesifer
10/10/1995 Tuesday
17:35 approx.
I arrived at the shop
to get command unit 2100. I filled it with gas and proceeded to the
fire scene. 10/10/1995 Tuesday
18:15 approx.
I arrived back on the
fire scene with 2100. Several deputies were on the scene as well as
Deputy Dir. Bryant and Fire Inspector Harris. We set up the command
unit. Deputy Dir. Bryant took me back to the EMS shop to get my car.
I went back to the scene to assist Inspector Harris.
Inspector Harris
briefed me as to what needed to be done this evening. We started by
locating areas to take some additional samples to send to the SBI
lab. We collected one sample near the dining area in the living room
where the carpet met the vinyl floor. Photos were taken prior the
the taking of the sample. The carpet was cut and removed. We decided
to take the padding in this area instead of the carpet. It was noted
that the same type of accelerate could be smelled in the area where
we took the sample. It smelled like gasoline. We placed the padding
in a vinyl bag and sealed the bag with tape. G.C.S.O. Techs kept the
evidence. We removed our gloves; placed them back on the site where
we took the sample; and photographed the gloves and the evidence at
the collection site.
Inspector Harris and
myself them moved to another site just outside of the kitchen near
the hallway to take an additional sample for evidence. The
collection site was photographed. We took a 6" x 6" sample from this
location. The sample was placed in a nylon bag and sealed by G.C.S.O.
I.D. Techs. We removed our rubber gloves and a photo was taken of
the gloves and evidence at the site we took the sample from. Around
10:30 P.M., I assisted Guilford Co. Sheriffs Dept. I.D. Techs in
collecting the rug in the living room for evidence. Approximately
23:15, I found some papers in the kitchen along with a calendar and
bill statements. I turned these items over to Detective Jim Church
for examination and they were placed in to evidence.
Approximately 23:30,
we collected a fireplace ignitor or lighter from the living room
floor. It was placed in a nylon bag by G.C.S.O. I.D. Techs and
sealed.
Around 00:00. we took
a break and decided to "dig out" the hole in the floor where the
body was found to search for any evidence (specifically a shell
casing for the weapon used in the homicide). Inspector Harris and I
proceeded to dig in the hole. During the dig, I noticed a red hue on
the carpet behind me. I lifted the carpet and looked at the padding
area. Under the carpet in a large area, there appeared to be dried
blood in the padding. This area was photographed by G.C.S.O. I.D.
Techs. Around 00:30, we took a break to change to the light unit so
Sta. #3's equipment could be released. We proceeded with the digging of the hole area. Early the morning, I shoveled a layer of debris from the hole. We uncovered a large kitchen knife. We stooped digging
and G.C.S.O. I.D. Techs took the knife into evidence. Around 04:15 a.m., 10/11/1995. we decided to stop searching through the debris in the hole. We had not found the shell casing or any other evidence in the hole. We packed all of the equipment up and went home for the night.
/signature/
Report, Fire Investigator E. B. Harris
Ted Kimble's handwritten notes are included as footnotes.
FIRE INVESTIGATION 95/104
E. B. HARRIS
October 10, 1995, at 06:30 hours I
received a phone call from M. Gregson at Guilford County Emergency
Communications advising Chief Inspector E. P. Rich requested I
respond to a house fire with a fatality at Brandon Station Court, in
the Pleasant Garden Fire District. I arrived on scene at 07:05 hours
and met with Inspector Rich to be briefed on the fire and
investigation to that point.
Chief Rich advised that shortly after
knocking down the fire, the fire department discovered a body,
possibly of a female, in the hallway of the house. He also said
there was what appeared to be pour patterns on the floor of the
hallway, kitchen and living room, indicating the presence of
flammable or combustible liquids. He said a sample of carpet beneath
an area rug had been taken as evidence , as had a plastic fuel can
that had been in the kitchen. He said the bedrooms of the house had
been ramsacked, drawers pulled out, etc.
He requested I continue the cause and
origin investigation and coordinate efforts with the Sheriffs
Department.
I walked around the exterior of the
house in a clockwise direction from the driveway. I noted a grey
Subaru vehicle in the driveway in front of the house. A set of keys
were in the driver's seat and a woman's purse was unzipped and
sitting in the passenger seat. Both front doors of the car were
unlocked but closed and the windows were up. I noted a garage addition to the house, 75% to 80% complete on the east side of the house. There was no garage door and I noted a dining room table and four chairs that had been rmoved from inside the house to facilitate overhaul and investigation. I noted lumber and other building materials, and upright storage cabinet, and a Huskvarna riding lawn mower in the garage. Continuing around the house I noted a deck at the rear behind the kitchen with no door from the house to the deck. I noted smoke stains on the "greenhouse" window in the kitchen, and smoke stains on the siding above the crawl space vents the length of the house. Two additional windows on the back of the house were also stained on the inside glass.
2.
Moving to the west side of the house
I noted the door to the crawl space was open. According to several
firefighters, the door was open upon their arrival. Again I noted
smoke stains above the foundation vents and broken windows that were
also smoke stained. There were no smoke stains above the crawl space
door. Continuing around toward the front of the house I noted two
120 lb. L.P. Gas cylinders, the covers opened, presumably by fire
department personnel to shut off the fuel supply. At the front of
the house I noted smoke stained; broken windows and smoke stains
above the foundation vents. Examining the windows, it appeared all
of the windows were closed at the time of the fire. I noted the
bottom panels of the wooden front door had been removed and pry
marks on the exterior surface of the door near a dead bolt (single
cylinder) lock. The damage described to the front door was caused by
fire department personnel to gain secondary entry into the house. I
noted smoke stains on the living room window as well.
Entering the house from the side door
(from the garage) I noted distinct burn patterns on the linoleum
floor of the kitchen. I noted burning around a relatively clean
circular area, presumably where the plastic fuel can had been. I
noted the deadbolt lock on the entry door was unlocked, and no
damage (from forced entry) was evident.A I did note however damage to
the door jamb and that the keeper to the door knob latch was
missing. Continuing into the kitchen I noted the burn patterns on
the floor led into the living room, across that floor and onto the
couch cushion and back. Walking through the kitchen I noted the burn
pattern continued into the hallway that led to the front door and to
the end of the house toward the bedrooms. I noted moderate smoke and
heat damage in the kitchen.
There were several pots, etc on the
floor and counter tops. There were no drawers or cabinet doors open.
I noted the telephone answering machine on the floor of the kitchen
and requested Stormy Cross, Sheriffs Department I.D. Technician to
take the machine as evidence.B I noted a large hole in the floor of
the hallway between the bathroom and first bedroom. The hole
measured
AFire inspections chief E.
P. Rich said otherwise.
BAnything on the answering
machine?
3.
bedrooms. The first bedroom did not
appear to be in disarray. There were clothes in the closet and no
dresser drawers were open. There were a few articles of clothing on
the floor at the foot of the bed. Lifting the carpet from the area
where the head of the body had had been I noted a large stain of
what appeared to be blood. Continuing down the hallway I
entered the bedroom to the right. This room had a small couch, a
desk and chair, and a tool chest, in addition to photo's etc on the
walls and clothes in the closet. It appeared someone had gone
through the desk drawers and closet, leaving them in disarray.A
I.D. Technician Sgt. Lindell showed
me several footprints leading away from a storage buiding that was
approximately 250 feet west of the house. The footprints led toward
the roadway where Lindell showed me tiretracks just off the roadway.
I noted at least two "burn-outs" made on the pavement of the
cul-du-sac below the house. These burn-outs were made by a
motorcycle.
Photographs were made of the interior
of the house, of each room. Shortly after the photographs were made
I talked with Lt. Grady Bryant of the Sheriffs Department.C He said
the Medical Examiner's office report the victim died from a gunshot
to the head, and that a search warrant was being drawn up. He
requested we not re-enter the property until the warrant was excecuted.
Around 17:30 the warrant was
excecuted. I had requested from Joe Bryant, Deputy Director of
Emergency Services to have the command unit brought to the scene. He
called Inspector Garrett Stonesifer, who was returning from Raleigh
where he had dropped off evidence taken from the scene earlier this
date.
ADetectives had said no
one messed with the closets.
BDetectives said they were
stacked up.
CCan we keep them from
using any evidence obtained prior to the warrant or my permission.
4.
Inspector Stonesifer arrived in Unit
2100 at approximately 17:45 to 18:00 hours. I requested his
assistance in further examination and evidence removal. Stonesifer
and I, while accompanied by I.D. Tech's Cross and Lindell, took
samples of the carpet padding in the living room area just off the
kitchen. These samples of padding had a strong odor of gasoline
about them. They were placed in nylon bags for analysis in the S.B.I.
lab in Raleigh. I found a set of keys in the kitchen floor amongst
debris. The keys were photographed and taken as evidence. The key
had a Jeep key tab, and a "Beauty and the Beast" tab.
Detective David Debarry of the
Sheriffs Department requested assistance from Stonesifer and me in
trying to locate spent shell casing that may or may not exist. He
said if an automatic weapon was used the casing could be in the
hallway, bathroom, or in the burned out area. Inspector Stonesifer
and I with assistance from volunteers from the Pleasant Garden Fire
Department dug through and searched the areas the casing may have
been. This search was overseen by Sgt. Lindell.
Around 23:00 hours, we requested the
county light unit respond to the area so that fire department
vehicles could be returned to service at approximately 03:00,
Inspector Stonesifer found a large butcher knife in the hallway. The
knife was found beneath debris of the burned out areas to the left
side of where the body had been found.
The wood handle of the knife
sustained slight damage. The blade was approximately 12 inches long.
Sgt. Lindell took the knife as evidence. Inspector Stonesifer also
found a bra or negligee in the burned area. It was taken. by Sgt.
Lindell. At approximately 04:00 the area had been searched and no
shell casing or other evidence was located in the burned out area.
At Sgt. Lindell's request I removed a
piece of carpet, soaked with what appeared to be blood, from where
the victim had been discovered.
Inspector Stonesifer and I left the
scene at 04:20 hours. Sgt. Steve Shaver replaced barrier tape at the
entrance to the house after we left.
/signature/
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