An arrest affidavit shows a 34-year-old man was taken into custody in connection with the stabbing death of his children’s 30-year-old mother, identified as Den’Jah, and the death of one of her children, a 10-month-old boy, and charged with murder, attempted murder, and arson. The 31-year-old man identified as Charles reportedly went to Den’Jah’s home and set the apartment on fire, leaving the three children behind, after stabbing the woman approximately 100 times.
The incident took place last week, and first responders were sent to the home in reference to a structure fire. Upon arriving at the scene, they encountered a home fully engulfed in flames and heavy smoke coming out of the windows. Firefighters entered the home and were able to rescue a 10-month-old boy, identified as Messiah, and 4 and 5-year-olds, identified as Dove and Dakota. They also discovered Den’Jah, who was pronounced dead at the scene. She was reportedly stabbed 100 times with a knife. The children were transported to the hospital, where the 10-month-old succumbed to his injuries while the other two remain in critical condition. Charles is the father of the children who are in critical condition.
The investigation showed the fire was intentionally set in two locations at the apartment, one of them being in the bedroom and the other in the kitchen, where burned paper and a box were found on top of the four burners on the stove. Authorities determined Charles as a primary suspect after obtaining traffic camera footage that placed him at the scene around the time the fire engulfed. When confronted by investigators, Charles admitted to having visited his children’s mother’s home on the fatal night, but maintained his innocence and denied having anything to do with her death or the fire that resulted in the death of her 10-month-old son.
Authorities said the evidence against Charles is clear, and he was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted felony murder, and first-degree arson. He was also found in possession of the victim’s cell phone at the time of his arrest. Charles is currently being held in jail without bond.
