LAFLIN, PA — The blaze that killed two children and injured a third was intentionally set Wednesday night, and a Wilkes-Barre man is in custody for unrelated crimes, authorities say.
The same man has a history of trouble at the home that burned.
Officials ruled the fire an arson at a press conference Thursday at the State Police barracks in Wyoming.
Meanwhile, State Police searched a Wilkes-Barre home as part of their investigation into the fire.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday, Luzerne County 911 received a report of a blaze at 60 Oakwood Drive. State Police arrived and found three boys inside the residence.
Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said during Thursday’s press conference that a juvenile made a 911 call, reporting an individual who was known to the family was on the back porch but was not supposed to be on the property.
The juvenile told a dispatcher he and his brothers were in their bedroom on the second floor and could see the individual outside.
At 7:15 p.m., another 911 call came in, reporting a fire at the residence.
Two boys — a 16-year-old and a 12-year-old — were pronounced dead at the scene by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office. The third — an 8-year-old — was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Luzerne County Deputy Coroner Dan Hughes identified the dead boys as Devon Major, 12, and Erik Dupree, 16. The cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning due to the fire, Hughes said.
The third boy’s condition would not be released Thursday night, Sanguedolce said.
Luzerne County property records show the Laflin property is owned by Susan M. Major.
Sanguedolce said that a person of interest was in custody on an unrelated, pending warrant. He would not identify that person. However, police on Thursday morning took a Wilkes-Barre man into custody who has a history with the home.
Preston Daquon Bonnett, 26, was arrested on charges that he had devices used for manufacturing counterfeit credit cards at the residence July 10.
According to an affidavit for that case, Bonnett was in the home after being invited by Tyla Griffin, who had been staying in Major’s basement since June 16. Major, who knew Bonnett, did not grant permission for him to stay.
Major told police she had enough of Griffin and Bonnett and began moving their belongings from the basement to the first floor, with the pair screaming at her and refusing to leave. Major told police she noticed Bonnett had a credit card machine and various credit cards in his belongings, along with his state ID card and blank credit cards.
A witness who was at the home at the time, Cyrus Solomon, said Griffin broke the front window of the home with her hand before fleeing the scene in July.
Both Bonnett and Griffin are facing charges in connection with the alleged counterfeiting operation, including felonies.
More recently, Bonnett was accused of vandalizing the home. On Oct. 14, he allegedly threw a beer bottle through a window. His citation for that case was filed less than a week ago. It orders him to pay $662, with $200 of it going to Major as restitution.
Bonnett, 173 Jones St., Wilkes-Barre, has not been charged in connection to the deadly fire.
The investigation into the blaze led to a home at 18 Hillside St., Wilkes-Barre. Trooper James Shubzda, a forensic crime scene expert, confirmed the Laflin connection Thursday, but could not elaborate.
Neighbor: House didn’t fit
A woman who lives across the street said the home at 60 Oakwood Drive stood apart from the largely affluent, well-manicured neighborhood.
“There were always people going in and out,” said the neighbor, who did not wish to be identified. “The house looked like it was abandoned, with the window smashed in.”
The woman said the residence was previously owned by “hard-working” couple Sam and Sue Bellanca, who both recently passed away, before being taken over by their daughter, also named Sue.
An obituary for a Laflin woman named Assunta “Sue” Bellanca published in the Times Leader in April 2016 seems to corroborate the neighbor’s statements. Bellanca’s obituary lists a Laflin woman named Susan Major as her daughter, and lists grandsons with first names matching those of the deceased as confirmed by Hughes. However, Erik’s last name is listed as Major and not Dupree in the obituary.
The neighbor said it seemed as though there was more smoke than flames during Wednesday’s fire. She said she saw bodies being removed from the house, with one being left in the front yard for a lengthy period of time.
Major arrived at one point, the neighbor said, and was visibly distressed. The neighbor said she saw State Police lead Major away, but it is unclear if she was taken for questioning.
“We’re shocked by what happened,” the neighbor said of the fire. “If Sam and Sue are looking down from heaven, I don’t even know what they’d be thinking.”