SAN MARCOS, Texas – The suspect in the 2018 Iconic Village apartment fire in San Marcos that left 5 other people useless has been released from prison on a private recognizance bond, the Hays County district legal professional showed Thursday.
Jacobe De Leon O Shea Ferguson, 30, used to be arrested in July, 5 years after the fire when investigators stated they were given a surprising destroy in the case.
Ferguson used to be charged with a first-degree prison fee of arson inflicting physically harm or loss of life. His bond used to be set at $250,000. But just about 3 months after his arrest, he remains unindicted.
Under state regulation, a jailed defendant should be indicted inside of 90 days or be given an inexpensive or PR bond. A PR bond approach a defendant is permitted to go away prison with out posting a bond if they comply with seem at long run hearings on the case.
“On September 20, 2023, the prosecutors working on this case met with the investigative team. A joint decision was made that additional investigation was needed prior to presentation of the case to a grand jury,” Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins stated in a remark to the media. “After the meeting, prosecutors contacted the defense counsel for Ferguson and informed them that the State would agree to his release on a personal bond while the investigation continues.”
Following the news, officers with the City of San Marcos stated, “We remain committed to continuing this investigation and ensuring survivors, victims, and their families receive justice.”
In the July press convention held after Ferguson’s arrest, officers stated the destroy in the case got here after the Texas Rangers were given concerned and equipped the duty drive with a “fresh set of eyes” as all investigators re-examined the proof and performed interviews once more.
Five other people died in the fire — Dru Estes, 20, of San Antonio; Belinda Moats, 21, of Big Wells; Haley Michele Frizzell, 19, of San Angelo; David Angel Ortiz, 21, of Pasadena; and James Phillip Miranda, 23, of Mount Pleasant. Four of the sufferers have been scholars or former scholars at Texas State University, as Ferguson used to be on the time.
The key information that investigators stated they knew for years however that used to be simply published publicly in Ferguson’s arrest warrant affidavit is that the deadly fire that unfold to 2 structures of the apartment advanced began with a bed in a first-floor breezeway.
Investigators stated Ferguson had a tie to the bed and used to be intoxicated and dissatisfied over budget and romantic rejection on the evening of the fire.
Interim Fire Marshal Jonathan Henderson stated whilst Ferguson used to be amongst the ones interviewed in 2018, he used to be no longer regarded as a suspect any longer than somebody else.
It wasn’t till the Texas Rangers were given concerned that investigators have been ready to get extra information from witnesses that implicated Ferguson.
In the weeks after the fire, Ferguson first lied to investigators about his wisdom of the bed. He later admitted that he knew a chum left the bed for him in the breezeway outdoor her apartment, however he used to be too busy to select it up.
Another buddy of Ferguson’s who lived in Building 5 informed investigators that he and Ferguson had talked concerning the “flammability” of the bed in the breezeway.
In new interviews this 12 months, that buddy informed investigators that Ferguson used to be intoxicated on the evening of the fire. They communicated by way of telephone and textual content that evening and the buddy informed investigators that Ferguson informed him that his apartment used to be on fire and that his cats have been useless. He stated that the day after the fire he had a dialog with Ferguson about how the fire may have began. The buddy stated that Ferguson stated it might have began with a “stray spark or someone intentionally setting fire to this mattress.”
In some other interview with the girl who left the bed for Ferguson, she admitted that Ferguson informed her to mislead investigators in 2018 and no longer say the rest concerning the bed. The affidavit mentioned that it took “multiple attempts” to touch the girl and she or he later admitted that she were in contemporary touch with Ferguson. He informed her to inform investigators that she didn’t consider as it were 5 years, the affidavit states.
In but some other interview with Ferguson’s buddy ultimate month, he informed investigators that Ferguson used to be pissed off after being rejected for a date by way of probably the most construction citizens and stated Ferguson had a “contempt for women.” The witness additionally stated Ferguson used to be operating 3 jobs and used to be pissed off that he used to be getting nowhere.
The buddy informed investigators that Ferguson “Didn’t tell me he did it, (but) he told me why he did it,” consistent with the affidavit. Ferguson informed him the fire took over “super-fast” and “super-hot.” They even mentioned what sort of fees Ferguson may just face.
It used to be the ones new interviews, the affidavit states, that gave investigators sufficient evidence to arrest Ferguson.
The households of one of the sufferers at the side of one of the citizens sued the house owners of the apartment advanced after the fire, bringing up unsafe stipulations together with the loss of fire sprinklers, unreliable smoke detectors, and a incorrect roof design that fed oxygen to the flames.
That lawsuit used to be settled earlier than trial and the phrases have been confidential.
Watch the whole press convention about Jacobe Ferguson’s arrest:
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