ST. PETERSBurG, Fla. (CW44 News At 10) – CW44 News At 10 reported on Saturday, August 1, 2020 of a late night fire in St. Petersburg that claimed the life of one and injured another. As the investigation developed, the St. Petersburg Police Department is now investigating the incident as a murder-suicide.
Around 9:36pm on July 31, SPPD received a call concerning a possible arson on the 5400 block of 14th Ave. N.
When St. Pete Fire & Rescue arrived, they pulled two people from the home. The man, later identified as Charles Nelson (DOB 10/21/52) was deceased. His wife, Janet Nelson was in critical condition and transported to the hospital.
On August 2 around 9:58pm, it was reported that Janet Nelson succumbed to injuries.
As of August 3, 2020, SPPD announced the case is now being investigated as a murder-suicide.
Detectives say Charles Nelson used an accelerant to purposely set the house on fire. Janet Nelson called 911 for help, but was unable to get out of the home. St. Pete Fire and Rescue pulled both out of home, but Charles was already deceased. Janet succumbed to her injuries on Sunday.
Police have been called to the home twice, once in 2014 and again in 2019 for domestic quarrels, but no one was arrested. The investigation into the both deaths is ongoing.
©2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. St. Petersburg Police Department contributed to this article.