Man charged with murder, arson after LA music studio fire
Posted Apr 17, 2018 06:23:57 PM.
Last Updated Apr 17, 2018 07:01:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – A California man has been charged with murder, attempted murder and arson after a fatal fire at a music studio killed two people.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office says Efrem Demery is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
Police said he had been arguing with 28-year-old Devaughn Carter and 30-year-old Michael Pollard hours before the fire Saturday morning.
Investigators suspect Demery filled a gasoline container across the street from the studio and then went inside, spread the gas and lit it ablaze.
Carter and Pollard died. Two other people — a man in his 20s and a 15-year-old girl — were critically injured.
Prosecutors say they haven’t yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
A telephone number listed for Demery rang unanswered Tuesday.
