Hartford Police
Destiny Waite is the Connecticut woman accused of throwing a flaming hand sanitizer bottle at her girlfriend and sparking a massive fire in the apartment building, which caused the death of one person and injured several others.
The fire started at 39 Charter Oak Place in Hartford, Connecticut, early in the morning on March 8, 2020. Waite was quickly identified as a person of interest and faces charges that include arson and murder. But her attorney has insisted Waite is innocent and is being framed for a crime she did not commit.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Dispatchers Received More Than a Dozen 911 Calls & First Responders Said People Were Hanging Out of Windows Awaiting Rescue As Flames Shot From the Building
The fire started at 39 Charter Oak Place around 1:22 A.M. on March 8, 2020. Hartford law enforcement officials explained during a news conference that dispatchers received more than 16 emergency calls about the fire.
Investigators said the fire started in the second floor of the five-story building and spread quickly. First responders reported the building, which included more than 68 apartment units, was filled with smoke and flames were shooting out of the windows. Fire Chief Reginald Freeman explained residents were seen hanging out of windows waiting to be rescued. Firefighters rescued more than 40 people from the building.
Officials said the fire was difficult to control due to the intense heat. Emergency responders cut a hole in the roof in an attempt to cool the building and gain access to hard-to-reach areas. It took firefighters more than three hours to douse the flames.
2. Emergency Responders Found Jerome Kyser Dead From Smoke Inhalation & His Death Was Ruled a Homicide
Hartford Fire Department Firefighters rescued more than 40 people from the fire at Charter Oak Place on March 8, 2020
Emergency responders found the body of Jerome Kyser, 50, during a second search of the apartment building. The medical examiner classified his death as a homicide, WTIC-TV reported. He died from smoke inhalation.
Police said Kyser did not live in the unit where the fire started. There is no indication he knew Destiny Waite or her girlfriend.
Two adults and two children were hospitalized with critical injuries but all have since stabilized, police said. Several other people suffered more minor injuries. The fire forced as many as 60 families out of their homes.
The Red Cross has stepped in to provide assistance. Hartford’s Health and Human Services department also opened a temporary shelter for the displaced families, according to WABC-TV.
3. Investigators Confirmed a Lit Hand Sanitizer Bottle Sparked the Fire On the Second Floor of the Building
Woman Arrested for Arson in Connection to Deadly Hartford Apartment Fire
Investigators explained during the March 9 news conference they were confident the fire started on the second floor of the building and that a flaming hand sanitizer bottle had been the source.
Police said Destiny Waite was involved in a “domestic verbal and physical altercation” with her girlfriend that night. The other woman, whose name was not released, told investigators Waite threw a hand sanitizer bottle at her after lighting it on fire.
She claimed Waite yelled, “I hope you die” after throwing the bottle, according to an arrest warrant cited by the Hartford Courant. Waite had been living with her girlfriend and the woman’s mother, the newspaper reported.
The woman’s arms were burned, but police stated during the news conference that the woman was fine.
Investigators with the Major Crimes Divisions identified Waite as a person of interest in the hours after the fire. She was interviewed at the Hartford Police Department and arrested.
4. Destiny Waite Faces a Felony Murder Charge & Bond Was Set at $1 Million
State of Connecticut Judicial Branch
Destiny Waite faces several felony charges in connection to the deadly fire. According to the State of Connecticut judicial branch website, prosecutors are charging Waite with first-degree arson, attempt to commit murder, and four counts of first-degree assault. The State’s Attorney’s office says Waite will also be charged with felony murder, NBC Connecticut reported.
Inmate records from the Connecticut State Department of Correction show Waite’s bail was set at $1 million bond. She remains behind bars as of this writing. A court date was scheduled for March 24.
The attempted murder charge was related to her girlfriend’s claim that she threw the flaming hand sanitizer bottle at her. The assault charges were connected to the four victims who suffered critical injuries.
5. Destiny Waite’s Attorney Insists His Client Has Been Framed
Destiny Waite
Destiny Waite’s defense attorney is defense attorney Joseph Elder. In court on March 9, he made the case that his client has been framed for a crime she did not commit.
Elder argued Waite was not at Charter Oak Place when the fire started. He claimed Waite had been with family members at their home on Putnam Street at the time. Elder insisted Waite’s girlfriend was at fault but that the other woman was trying to shift the blame to Waite, the Hartford Courant reported.
Elder also told WFSB-TV, “Waite has told police she hasn’t been in the house for a number of days prior to the fire started. It’s our position that it’s the victim who caused harm to herself.”
But Hartford police say they have evidence Waite was at the building. The prosecutor also argued in court that an eyewitness placed Waite at the scene.
READ NEXT: Florida Woman Left Boyfriend to Die in Suitcase, Cops Say