NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) - Two young women and a juvenile were charged Friday in connection with a southern Indiana house fire that killed three siblings last month and was allegedly started by a man accused of firing a flare in an act of revenge.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Shelby L. Makowsky, 18, of Clarksville; Kylie L. Jenks, 19, of New Albany; and a 17-year-old girl. Each faces one count of conspiracy to commit arson.
The charges come a month after 18-year-old Cody Cashion of New Albany was charged with three counts of murder and one count of arson in the Jan. 4 deaths, The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., reported (https://cjky.it/1jFr3MO ).
Prosecutors allege Cashion used a flare gun to fire a flare through the New Albany home’s front window to avenge an alleged robbery by a man who lived there with his older sister. The charges filed Friday allege that Makowsky, Jenks and the juvenile are believed to have been in the vehicle with Cashion, a friend, when the flare was shot.
Police believe the flare, which can burn at temperatures approaching 3,000 degrees, landed near a space heater and ignited a fire in the room where four siblings were sleeping together on a king-size bed.
The fire killed 2-year-old Trinity Hughes, 4-year-old Tyrese Hughes and 6-year-old Tai’zah Hughes. The siblings’ 5-year-old sister was rescued, but she is still recovering from severe burns and an infection at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
“Nothing brings these children back,” Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson said during Friday’s news conference announcing the new charges.
He said detectives believe Cashion has been involved in other incidents with flare guns and are investigating. The new charges came as a judge lifted a court-ordered seal on a probable cause affidavit detailing investigators’ initial allegations involving Cashion and his friends.
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Information from: The Courier-Journal, https://www.courier-journal.com
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