Murder, arson and assault charges were filed Tuesday afternoon against a Poplar Bluff, Mo., woman who is accused of setting fire to an apartment house with multiple people inside.
Tara Janae Maxfield of the 200 block of Alvin Street was charged with the Class A felonies of second-degree murder and first-degree arson and four Class B felonies of first-degree assault by Butler County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Paul Oesterreicher.
Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth set the 41-year-old woman's bond at $250,000 cash and ordered she appear Thursday morning in his court for arraignment on the charges.
The complaint filed with the court accuses Maxfield of causing the death of Tommy Eugene Younger, who was "killed by as a result of her attempted perpetration" of arson.
Poplar Bluff firefighters removed the 57-year-old from his 712 Poplar St. apartment after responding to a fire there at 10:43 p.m. Sunday. Younger later died at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center at about 5:30 p.m. Monday.
An autopsy is scheduled to be performed this morning by Dr. Russell Deidiker at a Farmington, Mo., hospital.
Maxfield also is accused of assaulting Paul E. Boyer, Tony Frymire, Stephanie Kiper and Jodi Blackmore, who were inside the other apartments at the time she allegedly set the fire. Maxfield's alleged actions were a "substantial step" toward first-degree assault.
According to earlier reports, the fire was "going well" when firefighters arrived Sunday night.
Firefighters reportedly found heavy smoke and fire on the front porch of the home, which had been added on to and converted into three apartments.
Upon arrival, it was discovered Younger still was inside his first-floor apartment, and firefighters made entry to rescue him.
Boyer had been trapped by the flames and "resorted to jumping from a second-story window to the ground, which was approximately 20 feet below," Poplar Bluff Police Detective Andy Cleaveland wrote in his probable-cause statement.
Boyer, he said, suffered minor injuries, as well as severe smoke inhalation, which required medical treatment.
Cleaveland said Frymire, Kiper and Blackmore had been trapped in a first-floor apartment and escaped through a window by removing a window-mounted air conditioning unit.
The home reportedly had only one entrance on the front porch.
Firefighters, chief Ralph Stucker earlier said, found Younger in the back portion of his apartment and removed him.
Cleaveland said Younger was unconscious and barely breathing when he was found.
Younger, he said, was taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, where he was admitted to the intensive-care unit. The detective described Younger, who was put on a ventilator, as being was unresponsive.
"The origin, aspects and particularities of the fire were determined to be suspicious in nature, and the Missouri Fire Marshal's Office was called," as were detectives with the police department's Criminal Investigation Division, Cleaveland said.
Jason Dunn, a fire marshal investigator, and police detective Jason Morgan responded to process the scene.
Dunn, Cleaveland said, determined the cause of the fire was arson.
As the investigation continued, Cleaveland said, several potential witnesses were identified and interviewed throughout the day Sunday.
Cleaveland said officers also did periodic checks throughout the day regarding Younger's condition, which hospital personnel reported grew "progressively worse."
Just prior the learning of Younger's death, the Butler County/Poplar Bluff Major Case Squad was activated to investigate the fire.
As the investigation progressed, Maxfield reportedly was developed as a person of interest.
Officers, Cleaveland said, were told Kiper had seen Maxfield, who was described as being in an "enraged condition," outside the Poplar Street residence.
Maxfield was located and taken to the police department for an interview.
Special provisions, according to Cleaveland, had to be made for Maxfield, who is deaf.
Using special equipment, Cleaveland said, Maxfield was told of her rights and initially denied any knowledge of the fire, saying she was nowhere around the scene.
"When confronted by the fact that a witness had observed her at the scene, Maxfield stated that she wanted to stop talking and that she wanted to speak with an attorney," Cleaveland said.
The interview, he said, was stopped at that point and resumed moments later when Maxfield asked to speak to an officer.
Maxfield again was told of her rights, including her right to an attorney, but she told officers she wanted to proceed, Cleaveland said.
Maxfield, he said, subsequently told officers she was at the residence at the time of the fire.
"Shortly after this, Maxfield confessed to starting the fire," Cleaveland said. "Maxfield stated that she used a lighter to catch a blanket on fire."
Maxfield, Cleaveland said, further reported the blanket was on a couch located on the front porch of the apartment house.
"Upon ignition of the blanket, and then the couch, the front of the residence caught fire," Cleaveland said.
Maxfield's alleged actions of starting the fire were "directly responsible for Tommy Younger losing his life," said Cleaveland, who described those actions as being intentional.
Cleaveland said Maxfield also knew that by setting the fire she was "causing a condition," which could cause Boyer, Frymire, Kiper and Blackmore to lose their lives. That didn't occur, he said, because of their "self rescue."
After the interview was completed, Cleaveland said, Maxfield told officers she could lead them to the location where she had disposed of the lighter.
Maxfield, he said, took officers to a location in the 700 block Cynthia Street, where officers found the lighter, identified by the woman as being hers, in a bush. The lighter was seized as evidence.