GALVESTON, Texas — We've learned more about what led to the arrest of a man charged in connection with a deadly house fire in Galveston.
Courtney Allen Thompson, 20, is charged with capital murder in the death of Renita Hawthorne, 55. He also faces aggravated assault charges because three people were hurt in the Feb. 29 fire on Avenue H at 39th Street.
Thompson made his first court appearance Tuesday where his bonds were set at a total of a million dollars.
Here's what we've learned from court records.
- Arson was suspected from the beginning and the fire marshal determined the fire was set on both sets of outside stairs, trapping everyone inside. A K-9 detected accelerant on the stairs.
- A homicide investigator says Hawthorne's son had been receiving threatening texts for failing to pay another man for marijuana, including, "See y'all ready to play" and "Don't you mama drive that truck with the window busted."
- Cell phone evidence and a traffic stop led detectives to a gas station on 53rd Street. They said surveillance video showed Thompson and the suspected drug dealer's brother buying and filling a gas can hours before the fire.
- The detective said video from near the victim's home showed two men, one holding a gas can, walking toward the house minutes before the fire and running away with no gas can soon after.
- Less than two hours after the fire, the alleged drug dealer sent text messages that said, "b---h tell yo n---- we burned down his mama houses," and "Yeah I'm finna set Galveston on fire and burn off," and "I hope they dead."
Hawthorne and the others were trapped when flames engulfed their home. Firefighters found three people trying to escape through a window and used a ladder to pull them out. Hawthorne was found unconscious inside the burning home.
All four victims were rushed to UTMB, but Hawthorne didn't survive. It's not clear how the three victims are related to Hawthorne but the son who allegedly owed the drug dealer money wasn't in the home.
More charges could be filed in this case.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call investigators at 409-765-3779, or Galveston Crime Stoppers at 409-763-8477.