A horrific crime has led to the arrest of a Florida man accused of murdering two young children, ages 9 and 7, before intentionally setting the mobile home they were in on fire early Friday morning.
Deputies have charged John Henry Walston Jr., 27, with two counts of premeditated murder, one count of sexual assault on a victim under 12, and one count of arson following the incident at the Grand Oak Mobile Home Park in Escambia County. The victims were identified as 9-year-old Vayden Orum and 7-year-old Rayden Smith.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons confirmed the children were killed before the fire, which Walston allegedly set as he fled. “[Walston] assaulted one, then killed them both before saving himself,” Sheriff Simmons said in a video statement.
The tragedy was compounded by the mother’s desperate attempt to save her children. Witnesses described her running into the burning trailer.
“She went into the trailer trying to get them. That’s a mother’s love,” neighbor John Wenzel told WEAR. The mother survived but was rushed to a local hospital with burn wounds.
The father of one victim and stepfather of the other, Tyler Smith, expressed his shock and anger, stating Walston was known to the family and the children were allegedly staying over at his trailer with his own children during the incident.
Walston was also treated at a hospital for injuries before being taken into custody. He is being held without bond, with his first court date set for November 26.
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