FRANKLIN, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man is accused of dousing his girlfriend and his 5-year-old great nephew with liquid and setting them on fire, killing the child and critically injuring the woman, the state Fire Marshal’s Office said.
The news release from Fire Marshal Butch Browning’s office it happened at night in a mobile home in the Centerville community of St. Mary Parish.
The surviving victim told officials she and Derwin Hamilton, 49, had been arguing over the end of their relationship when Hamilton set her and the boy on fire. Online booking records show Hamilton was arrested early Wednesday and was being held with bond set at $1 million. He faces charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. No lawyer was listed for Hamilton.
Hamilton suffered minor burns. Firefighters had encountered him outside the burning mobile home and St. Mary Parish deputies detained him before he was treated at a hospital and then jailed, according to the news release.
Browning referred to the woman as the child’s guardian. His statement said an autopsy was pending to determine the cause of death.
