Father, teen sons accused of burning, dumping neighbor's body
HIGHLAND, Calif. -- Three suspects accused of dumping and burning the body of their neighbor in a trashcan last week were identified Thursday as a father and two teenage sons, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department said.
CBS affiliate KCAL reports that the 46-year-old father is accused of fatally stabbing his neighbor, Morris Barnes, 51, and then attempting to set the body on fire with the help of his two teenage sons, deputies said.
When a deputy saw the suspects dumping a trashcan on May 20, a deputy tried to contact them, but the father and two teenagers got in their car and drove away, leading to a pursuit, according to authorities.
The two teenagers, ages 14 and 17, reportedly tried to run away but were arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of acting as an accessory to murder.
The father allegedly drove on but was later taken into custody and booked into the West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of murder and felony evading.
Meanwhile, deputies responding to the scene in San Bernardino found Barnes' partially charred remains -- with multiple stab wounds -- in a trashcan.
Barnes' sister told KCAL that she has no idea what led to the killing.
"They socialized, they used to hang out," she said of suspect and victim. "So I don't know what went wrong. I don't know what led to that. I really don't."
Neighbors, meanwhile, said the boys didn't show any signs of being dangerous.
"The kids were good kids," said a neighbor, who identified herself as Lupe. "When they went to the store they asked of I needed anything. They would go for me and come back and bring it."