Background: News footage of the house in Chesterfield, Va. that was allegedly set on fire intentionally (WTVR). Inset: Alicia Newman (Chesterfield County Police).
A Virginia woman who once lived with her grandmother and great-aunt allegedly set the older woman”s house on fire after being told to leave.
Alicia Newman, 25, was charged with arson in connection with a house fire at the Chesterfield home of her grandmother, 75-year-old Evelyn Newman. Evelyn Newman shared her home of more than 30 years with her sister, 78-year-old Hazel Johnson, and both women died after a fire ripped through the home on Saturday.
According to reporting by local CBS affiliate WTVR, authorities arrested Alicia Newman after determining that the fire had apparently been set intentionally.
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WTVR reported that Chesterfield Fire and Rescue responded to the home at 4:20 a.m. on Saturday. Inside the home, first responders found Evelyn Newman and Johnson and transported them to the hospital. Both sisters died from their injuries.
Willie Robertson was a cousin to both women. He told WTVR that Evelyn Newman had allowed her granddaughter and her children to live in the home until the grandmother and granddaughter had an argument. Alicia Newman, who reportedly does not have a permanent address, was asked to leave the home.
Robertson told WTVR that “Alicia’s the type of woman where something like this, she could easily do and not look back.” Alicia Newman has not been charged in connection with the deaths of her family members, but officials reportedly said that additional charges could be handed down as the investigation into the fire progresses.
Alicia Newman was booked into Chesterfield County Jail where she is being held without bond. Her arraignment was scheduled for Monday.
