Two men have been charged with murder in a 2014 fire that killed two women in Fayette County.
William Eugene Dixon, 55, of Oak Hill, turned himself in on Monday afternoon and was arraigned on two murder charges, according to a Facebook post from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. Late Monday, deputies arrested Jonathan Lee Jones, 28, also of Oak Hill.
The two women, Cheryl Renee Ward and Jamie Lynn Castillo, died as a result of the fire near Oak Hill in March 2014. Investigators later ruled the fire was arson, and classified the women's deaths as homicide.
"Arson is not an easy crime to investigate, since a great deal of your physical evidence is often destroyed in the fire," Fayette County Sheriff Steve Kessler said in the news release. "Our detectives and investigators from the West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal have worked very diligently to gather the information and evidence necessary to support the filing of criminal charges in connection with this case."
According to the release, an investigation by the county sheriff's office, state fire marshal's office and Fayette County prosecutor's office led law enforcement officials to obtain warrants for Dixon and Jones.
"We have carefully reviewed the evidence in this case and believe that this evidence fully supports the filing of these criminal charges," said Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Harrah. "No crime is more serious than the unlawful taking of another human life, and I intend to prosecute this case aggressively."
Harrah noted that, if someone dies as the result of a felony such as arson, the alleged criminal can be charged with murder even if he didn't mean to kill anyone.
Once Dixon turned himself in, his lawyer asked for an emergency bond hearing because of Dixon's unspecified "health conditions," according to the release. Dixon was released on $75,000 bond. He will be on home confinement, according to the release.
Jones was arrested on the murder charges Monday night and arraigned in Fayette County Magistrate Court. He will be held in Southern Regional Jail.
Reach Andrew Brown at andrew.brown@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4814 or follow @Andy_Ed_Brown on Twitter.