Man allegedly ignited a blaze that claimed his 19-year-old daughter’s life and injured his estranged wife following an argument.
A Pennsylvania man is facing homicide and arson charges after he allegedly doused his family’s home in gasoline and set it on fire, a blaze that killed his 19-year-old daughter and injured his wife.
Brian Jeffrey Shelleby, 46, was taken into custody on Sunday after firefighters responded to a house fire in Castle Shannon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, around 10 a.m. Upon arrival, emergency responders found the home fully engulfed in flames.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Shelleby’s wife told police that she had informed her estranged husband he could not stay at the residence. In response, he allegedly threatened to “burn the house down” before grabbing a five-gallon can of gasoline and pouring it throughout the home’s two floors.
The wife reportedly screamed for their daughter, Lakyn Shelleby, to run, escaping just as the house “exploded into flames.”
Lakyn, a student at the University of Pittsburgh and a 2024 high school graduate, was trapped inside. Firefighters were unable to reach her in time, and she was later found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
After remaining at the scene, Shelleby was taken into custody.
He allegedly admitted to setting the fire, telling police he was trying to “convince her to let him stay” but resorted to grabbing the gas can after she insisted he leave.
READ: Florida Mom Gets 10 Years For Bathtub, Booster Seat Drowning Death Of Infant And Cover-Up
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