18-year-old charged in connection to deadly St. Pete house fire, father charged with evidence tampering: SPPD
Man faces murder charge after deadly house fire
The St. Pete Police Department has arrested a man in connection to the deadly St. Pete house fire that killed an 18-year-old and severely injured another. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The St. Pete Police Department has arrested a man in connection to the deadly St. Pete house fire that killed an 18-year-old and severely injured another.
St. Pete Deadly Arson Suspect Turns Himself In
According to officers, Charles Chambliss III, 18, turned himself in to the St. Pete Police Department on Wednesday. Detectives issued a warrant for his arrest Monday.
The fire happened on March 22 around 3:30 a.m. Police say the suspect set a car on fire, which spread to the carport and to the home.
Chambliss has been charged with felony murder and three counts of attempted felony murder. He is being held without bond on all four counts.
Officials say Chambliss lives nearby in the Coquina Key neighborhood and knows the family.
"We know that the suspect was friends, or I should say friends, but knew the victims in this case," Assistant Chief Michael Kovacsev with SPPD said. "He had been at that residence earlier that day. He had been there numerous times in the past. But the issue is there might have been some type of a disagreement. We don't know what exactly caused him to go out at three in the morning to go do this, and we may never know as we kind of go through, but there’s still investigative follow-up that we'll do."
On Thursday, a judge ruled Chambliss to have no contact with the victims or the victim's families. He also may not have access to guns or weapons, according to the judge's ruling.
"We're hopeful now that he's in custody anybody that has any information or heard anything will reach out to the detectives so they can continue with the follow-up and ultimately, we’ll be able to kind of really get a better idea of why this tragic incident occurred," Kovacsev said.
Cameras recounted the crime
Detectives said surveillance cameras, like Ring doorbell cameras in the neighborhood, were vital.
"It was an enormous benefit to this organization, to pulling this whole thing together," Kovacsev said.
Video showed everything from the suspect walking up to the home, to leaving after the fire started to returning to his own home, which is about a half mile away, police said. Officials thanked their program, Eagle Eye, that helped them string together video evidence of the arson.
Detectives then started surveilling the suspect’s home.
"When they did so, they observed the father of the suspect in this case leaving the residence, and this is a key point. This was a pivotal point in the investigation. The father left, went to a local business, went to the dumpster by the business and discarded clothing that was similar to the distinctive sweatshirt that the suspect was wearing that evening. The father was arrested over the weekend," Kovacsev said.
Charles Chambliss Jr. made incriminating statements about himself and his son, police say. He’s charged with tampering with evidence.
Officials say Chambliss has several felony property crimes on his record from when he was a juvenile.
The backstory:
According to officials, four people were home on Sunday, March 22 at 3963 Neptune Dr. Southeast when Chambliss allegedly set fire to the car under the carport around 3:30 a.m.
Courtesy: Troy Kane.
The fire spread to the carport and into the home. Eighteen-year-old Angelina Anderson died from her injuries.
An online fundraiser for the family says "Angelina’s light, her love, her smile, and her presence meant everything to us, and the void she has left behind is immeasurable. Losing her in the midst of this tragedy has broken our hearts in ways words cannot fully express."
Her sister, 35-year-old Ashley Nero, remains hospitalized with serious burn injuries.
Nero’s two sons, a 17-year-old and an 11-year-old, were also in the home but were not hurt.
Kovacsev said Chambliss knew the 17-year-old son since grade school.
What we don't know:
Investigators are still trying to find a motive.
What you can do:
Officials are asking for more tips as the investigation continues. Anyone who has tips that could help with their investigation is asked to contact police at 727-893-7780.
You can also text SPPD your tip to TIP411.
What's next:
Chambliss III will be back in court Monday to discuss the status of his attorney.
The Source: This article was written using information from the St. Pete Police Department.