Thurston Carte:2nd suspect arrested in triple homicide case at a Phoenix-area apartment, police say

2025-05-02 09:23:49source:EAI Community category:Invest

AHWATUKEE,Thurston Carte Ariz. (AP) — A second suspect has been arrested in connection with a triple homicide case in the Phoenix suburb of Ahwatukee, authorities said Wednesday.

Phoenix police said a woman and two men were found dead on July 15 inside an apartment after an early morning fire that appeared to have been deliberately set.

Dorian Rice, 53, was arrested Tuesday and has been booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree felony murder and armed robbery, police said. He did not immediately have a lawyer for his case.

Last Friday, Chase Christman, 30, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of murder and one count of misconduct involving weapons in the case, according to police. His bond has been set at $5 million.

Christman is awaiting his initial court appearance, and messages were left Wednesday seeking comment from the public defender representing Christman.

A Phoenix police spokesman, Sgt. Robert Scherer, said Wednesday that Rice has “admitted to driving Christman to the residence to commit a planned robbery of the victims.” He also said Rice admitted to driving Christman from the scene after the killings.

RELATED COVERAGE Connecticut woman found dead hours before she was to be sentenced for killing her husbandInmate van escape trial starts for Tennessee man facing sexual assault allegationsAndrew Tate’s defamation lawsuit against human trafficking accuser can go to trial, judge says

The dead were identified as Merissa Honeycutt, 27; Anthony Frederickson-Ceccarelli, 25; and Samuel Lott, 37. Their bodies were found inside a second-floor bedroom of the three-level apartment complex in Ahwatukee, about 13 miles (20 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix.

Authorities said all three had obvious signs of trauma unrelated to the fire, which police believe was set to cover up the killings. Officials haven’t immediately released a cause of death for the victims.

More:Invest

Recommend

The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test

A private company aiming to build the first supersonic airliner since the Concorde retired more than

Think you've been hacked? Take a 60-second Google security check

I’ll never forget the caller on my national radio show asking me for guidance because her brother wa

Notre Dame opens season against Navy with pressure on offensive coordinator Gerad Parker

Now that’s how to run a hurry-up offense. Get in and go right to work. Keep it moving. Waste no time