2 charged in Philadelphia house fire that killed pregnant mom and her 2 children
Possible motive revealed after deadly house fire in Strawberry Mansion
An alleged motive has been revealed as two suspects are accused of setting a deadly house fire in Strawberry Mansion, killing a pregnant mother and her two children.
Two people, Charles Sumpter, 67, and Fleitte Newell, 44, were arrested on Wednesday in connection to a deadly house fire that killed a pregnant mom and her two children.
PHILADELPHIA - Two people are facing charges for a deadly house fire in Philadelphia that claimed the lives of two children and their pregnant mother.
Charles Sumpter, 67, and Fleitte Newell, 44, were taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with murder and related offenses.
The backstory:
Firefighters were called to a property on the 2500 block of North Corlies Street just before 5 a.m. for reports of a house fire.
Five people were inside the home at the time of the fire, including three children and two adults.
Investigators say 4-year-old Alaya Thompson and 6-year-old Assad Thompson-Newell were pronounced dead at the hospital.
Fire that killed mother, 2 children deliberately set
The Philadelphia Fire Marshal reports that the early morning Strawberry Mansion rowhome fire that killed a mother and her two children was deliberately set.
Their mother, 32-year-old Ashley Thompson, who was 8-months pregnant, was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire.
A 2-year-old and a 54-year-old woman were rescued from the fire and remain in stable condition.
What we know:
Two people, Charles Sumpter, 67, and Fleitte Newell, 44, were arrested on Wednesday at a property in Strawberry Mansion.
They have been charged with murder and other crimes related to the deadly fire.
Philadelphia police sources say the oldest survivor of the fire, a 54-year-old grandmother who leaped with a two-year-old in her arms from a window, is the sister of the woman charged. Newell is believed to have been battling over inheriting the rowhouse, police sources say.