Man jailed in connection with fatal November arson in which victims were left to die
A 27-year-old man was jailed this week in connection with a fatal November arson in which neighbors said multiple victims were left bound and bloody in their burning east Las Vegas home.
The fire happened about 12:20 p.m. on Nov. 16 at 52 Sherrill Circle, a small, one-story house near Charleston and Lamb boulevards. Two people were killed: Mario Jimenez, 45, who died that day of thermal and inhalational injuries, and Angelica Jimenez, 27, who died on Feb. 17 as a result of her burns.
Their deaths were ruled homicides, according to the Clark County coroner. A third victim is still hospitalized with burns from that day, police said Wednesday.
The man arrested, Malik Watson, is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center, where he is facing 13 counts.
He faces two counts of murder with a deadly weapon, two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, four counts of first-degree kidnapping resulting in substantial bodily harm with a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping of a minor, first-degree arson, robbery with a deadly weapon, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit murder.
It is unclear whether Metro is seeking any other suspects in connection with the fire. It also is unclear how police linked Watson to the case; his arresting documents had not been released to the Las Vegas Review-Journal as of Wednesday afternoon.
The day of the fire, a neighbor rushed to help those inside, at first thinking the house randomly caught fire.
He initially helped an injured, older man — who already was out of the house — escape flames shooting from a window.
Realizing he could not enter the home from the front, which already was engulfed in flames, the neighbor ran around back. That is where he said he found one woman just inside, covered in blood and bound, whom he helped escape. He could hear others inside but could not get to them.
“It’s all I could do,” he said that day. “The house was blazing.”
Other neighbors noted that a young girl, who was in the home when the fire started, made it out of the house uninjured.
According to Tim Szymanski, spokesman with the Las Vegas Fire Department, 22 pieces of fire equipment and 66 fire personnel responded to the blaze. All told, more than 100 emergency personnel responded to the scene, he said.
When firefighters arrived, two people were lying on the front lawn next door to the home with severe burns, Szymanski said. A fourth person, the neighbor, was treated for smoke inhalation after he tried to rescue those inside.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find @rachelacrosby on Twitter.