In his interview with police, the boy said he had played with fire in the past and admitted to using a lighter to start a Frisbee on fire inside his father’s garage.
The boy’s grandmother Lori Alwood and aunt, Samantha Alwood, who are mother and daughter, testified Monday about three other fires that had occurred in the boy’s presence previous to the April 2019 one.
Monday’s testimony came on two Woodford County State’s Attorney’s motions to admit evidence of “other acts” and the defendant’s previous statements.
Judge Charles Feeney granted the motions. He said a “clear issue” in the case is the understanding of fire at the defendant’s age.
“This evidence would make clear that he had a keen understanding of fire,” Feeney said. “Actually, this evidence would make clear that he had a keen understanding of fire even if he didn’t set the fire,” because of his presence, which “shows his understanding of what fire does.”
Lori and Samantha Alwood described a fire at their home in Carlock in 2016 when the boy, who was 5 years old at the time, had visited with his mother to spend the night.
Samantha Alwood smelled smoke as she fell asleep on a couch in the living room. She went to her bedroom where the boy and his mother were staying and saw flames at the end of the bed. She said the boy’s mother was asleep in bed and the boy was standing near a window watching the fire.
Lori Alwood also said the boy watched the flames from the bed, then walked to the living room and watched TV as the rest of the family rushed to pour buckets of water on the fire.
The aunt also testified Monday that she found a Zippo lighter belonging to Lori Alwood’s husband underneath the bed.
Another fire occurred in the summer of 2018 at Lori and Samantha Alwood’s newer home at the same trailer park in Goodfield, about a three-minute walk from the boy’s home, Samantha Alwood testified.
Lori Alwood said she was at the boy’s home with other family and friends, while Samantha Alwood was asleep on a couch at her home, when the boy entered his home and asked “Do you smell smoke?”
Lori Alwood said she did not smell smoke, but rushed to her home and saw flames through the window. She entered the house to awaken Samantha Alwood and they put the fire out, which burned a recliner chair and a garbage can, she said.
Samantha Alwood said she found a small lighter near the melted garbage can.
About two weeks after the summer of 2018 fire, Lori Alwood said the boy admitted to her that he ignited the 2016 fire at her Carlock home, but he denied involvement in any other fire, his grandmother said.
Later that summer, his aunt and grandmother said a new car seat purchased for one of the young kids caught ablaze inside the boy’s mother’s car. The boy was seen standing at the front of the vehicle as the car seat burned and as others rushed to gather water, the aunt and grandmother testified.
The next hearing is scheduled for April 11.
The 12-year-old boy charged with murder in a fire in Goodfield had admitted to starting other fires previous to the fatal one, according to testimony in court Monday.
pantagraph.com
I missed one of your earlier posts but frustrating because I can’t find anything new. Just an older article.
