Miss. couple accused of killing 75-year-old man in fire after argument about drugs
02/14/2024 12:47 pm PST
VICKSBURG, Miss. (TCD) -- Police recently arrested a woman and her boyfriend for allegedly killing an elderly man in a fire after a dispute earlier this month.
According to a news release from the Vicksburg Police Department, on Friday, Feb. 2, officers and Vicksburg Fire Department personnel responded to a structure fire at 508 Speed St. After extinguishing the flames, responders found the body of 75-year-old Ernest Gleese.
The Mississippi State Fire Marshal's Office alleges 50-year-old Carolyn Mansfield set the fire following an "argument over drugs."
Mansfield reportedly confessed to the crime, and police took her into custody on Wednesday, Feb. 7, on charges of first-degree murder and arson.
According to the fire marshal's office, 74-year-old Albert Thomas, Mansfield's accomplice and boyfriend, also faces charges of first-degree murder and arson. Officials issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
Mansfield appeared in court the same day as her arrest, and a judge set her bond at $1.75 million.
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