UNITED STATES: Man released after allegedly killing his father over dishes now accused of torching 700 homes in Spokane
Police say Aaron Farinacci, 37, shot and killed his father in Mesa, Arizona in 2010 after an argument over washing dishes.
He then allegedly pointed the gun at his mother, turned it on himself, and survived.
He was charged with first-degree murder, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and was eventually released.
This week, investigators arrested him for first-degree arson in connection to the Old Trails Fire north of Spokane, Washington. The blaze destroyed an estimated 700 structures, most of them homes, and forced up to 65,000 people to evacuate.
Authorities say the fire was intentionally set. Farinacci was found with waterproof matches and a butane lighter. Witnesses reported seeing a nervous man kneeling in the grass at the exact spot where the fire started.
On the day the fire broke out, deputies stopped him about a mile away, questioned him, and let him go so they could focus on emergency response.
The sheriff said there were prior contacts for arson-related behavior. Prosecutors are crediting “vigilant citizens” who spoke up for helping crack the case. Farinacci is being held on $1 million bond.
A man who allegedly murdered his own father over chores walked free long enough to leave hundreds of families facing nothing but ashes.