Arson on Skeena

Poor Desi and Butzi, RIP.

From the Herald:


A fire that gutted a Dartmouth home Thursday was a case of arson, Halifax Regional Police say.

James Joseph Walsh, 34, of Eastern Passage was charged Friday with break and enter, arson and uttering threats, all in connection with a fire at 42 Skeena St.

Mr. Walsh was arraigned before Judge Frank Hoskins in Dartmouth provincial court.

Defence lawyer Geoff Newton and Crown attorney John Wade jointly requested that Mr. Walsh undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment at the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth.

Mr. Walsh allegedly set fire to mattresses throughout the house, the prosecutor said, because he’d heard voices telling him to hurt and kill Heidi Murphy.

Ms. Murphy is Mr. Walsh’s ex-girlfriend.

Mr. Newton told the court that his client is bipolar and hasn’t been taking his medication.

The assessment ordered by Judge Hoskins will look at whether Mr. Walsh is mentally fit to stand trial and whether he was criminally responsible for his alleged actions.

Mr. Walsh, of Rosewood Lane, will return to court Feb. 16.

Firefighters rushed to the Skeena Street bungalow at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Heavy smoke and intense flames were in the basement and on the main floor, and the flames even went through the roof.

Police spokesman Const. Brian Palmeter said a patrol officer was the first person to notice the fire and called for help.

Firefighters quickly noticed something that suggested arson, he said.

"They discovered that the front door had been forced open and observed signs inside to suggest the fire had been deliberately set," Const. Palmeter said.

Police quickly set their sights on a suspect, he said.

Mr. Walsh was arrested without incident at 3:23 p.m. at a nearby hospital.

"We became aware that the man was at Dartmouth General Hospital," Const. Palmeter said.

"We attended and in the course of speaking to him he was then arrested.

"He has a connection to the building itself and the people in there and there’s some indication there may have been a dispute."

No people were in the house during the fire, but two pet cats named Desi and Butzi died.

A woman who lived in the house, which is owned by her elderly grandmother, said the fire destroyed everything and the property cannot be repaired.

The woman said the arson incident came out of the blue.

Scene of the Crime:

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