A teenager is facing murder charges after police say he set a fire that killed an 18-year-old woman and seriously injured her sister inside a St. Petersburg home.
Charles Chambliss III, 18, appeared in court Thursday on one count of felony murder and three counts of attempted felony murder. A judge ordered him held without bond. He is expected back in court Monday.
The charges stem from a fire that broke out just after 3:30 a.m. March 22 at a home on Neptune Drive Southeast.
“In the early morning hours of March 22, St. Pete Police Department and St. Pete Fire Rescue responded to 3963 Neptune Drive Southeast related to a structure fire,” said Assistant Chief Michael Kovacsev with St. Petersburg Police.
Investigators determined the fire started outside the home and spread.
Four family members were inside at the time. Eighteen-year-old Angelina Anderson later died from her injuries. Her 35-year-old sister was seriously burned and remains hospitalized, while two children, a 17-year-old and an 11-year-old, were not seriously hurt.
Police say surveillance video from nearby homes played a critical role in identifying a suspect.
“They relied heavily on this video surveillance from residential cameras, and one of the key points was they were able to obtain a video of a suspect approaching the residence and that shortly leaving afterwards when the fire started,” Kovacsev said.
Investigators say the person seen in the video was wearing dark clothing with a distinctive marking, which helped them narrow their focus.
As detectives closed in, they began monitoring the suspect’s home.
“The father left [the house], went to a local business, went to the dumpster and discarded clothing that was similar to the distinctive sweatshirt that the suspect was wearing that evening,” Kovacsev said.
Chambliss’ father, Charles Chambliss Jr., was later arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. During his interview, police say he incriminated himself and his son.
A warrant for Charles Chambliss III was issued Monday and he turned himself in on Wednesday afternoon.
Police say the suspect knew the family.
“Best we can tell the 17-year-old who lived at the residence had known him [Chambliss III] since he was in grade school,” Kovacsev said. “He had been at that residence earlier that day. He’d been over there numerous times in the past, but the issue is there might have been some type of disagreement; we don’t know what caused him to go out at 3:30 in the morning to go do this. And we may never know.”
Kovacsev says Chambliss III has prior felony convictions stemming from property crimes committed while he was a minor.
Authorities say the 35-year-old woman who was injured remains in stable condition but faces a long recovery.
Chambliss will be back in court on Monday, April 6.