Alleged serial arsonist charged with murder after Hollywood house fire that killed 2 sisters
A month after a fire at a home in Hollywood killed two elderly sisters, a man described as a "serial arsonist" has been charged with two counts of murder, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
In a news release, the DA's Office said Jovan Lamar Duverne, 39, will face 11 felony counts of arson in addition to the murders, including enhancements relating to a prior conviction on arson.
"Setting fires anywhere is reckless and extraordinarily dangerous, but deliberately igniting multiple fires in a residential community shows a shocking disregard for human life," DA Nathan Hochman said while offering his condolences to the family of the sisters who were killed. "We allege this defendant went on a dangerous arson spree across Hollywood that ultimately claimed the lives of two elderly sisters inside their home."
Prosecutors allege that Duverne set fires at 10 locations within Hollywood using a handheld torch lighter between Jan. 26 and Feb. 4. He's accused of lighting rubbish and trying to enter buildings.
The fatal blaze was started around 2 a.m. on Feb. 4, according to the DA's Office. Duverne allegedly set the fire at a home at 1760 N Vista Del Mar Avenue, just one block north of the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.
One of the women, 76-year-old Maria de Consuelo Alarcon, was found dead inside the home as firefighters extinguished the flames. Her sister, 82-year-old Yolanda Honda, was transported to a local hospital, where she died several days later.
Duverne was arrested on Feb. 4. No motive for the alleged arson spree has been made clear.
He's scheduled to be arraigned later Wednesday. If convicted of all charges, he faces the possibility of life in state prison without parole, or even the death penalty, should prosecutors choose to pursue that avenue. A decision on the death penalty will be made at a later date, prosecutors said.
