MORENO VALLEY: Girl, 15, charged with arson, murder, after bed-ridden victim’s death

MORENO VALLEY — A 15-year-old girl has been arrested and charged with arson and murder after firefighters found an unresponsive woman inside a Moreno Valley home that burned late Tuesday night. According to sheriff’s officials, both the victim and alleged suspect lived at the blue and white, single-story home that sits on the southeast corner of Ferndell Street and Cloverfield Road in Moreno Valley.

Although the alleged suspect’s name has not been released due to her age, sheriff’s officials identified the victim as Amy Morrison.

The 45-year-old victim died after being rushed to an area hospital after firefighters discovered her inside the charred home. Officials have not yet stated if the victim died as a direct result of the fire and smoke or by some other means.

Although authorities have stated both the victim and alleged suspect resided at the Cloverfield home, they have not specified how or if the two were related. However, neighbors and area residents have stated the victim was the teen’s mother.

City of Moreno Valley Fire and Police personnel responded to the scene Tuesday night about 11:50 p.m., after receiving multiple reports of a residential fire at the location, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Steve Brosche explained after the juvenile’s arrest.

More than two dozen firefighters from six engine companies and one truck company spent nearly an hour extinguishing the house fire, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokesperson April Newman. They were assisted by a Breathing Support Unit.

While firefighters battled the raging fire, neighbors and area residents stood nearby in small clusters, watching in concerned silence as the scene unfolded before them. It was not known if the alleged suspect was in one of the groups watching firefighter’s efforts.

After knocking down the blaze, firefighters searching the burned-out home located Morrison and carefully carried her out to the home’s large rear yard. Neighbors watched on in stunned horror when a gurney was rolled up to the home and into the back yard through a section of fence knocked down by firefighters.

Several minutes later, the unconscious and gravely injured victim was rolled toward a waiting ambulance. No family or friends were seen approaching or checking on the woman as a firefighter/paramedic performed chest compressions on her lifeless body. Officials continued life-saving efforts as the ambulance eventually pulled away from the neighborhood to an area trauma center.

Newman later estimated the blaze caused about $200,000 in damage and that firefighter’s efforts had saved about $40,000 in personal belongings.

Within hours of extinguishing the blaze, fire officials determined the fire began under “suspicious circumstances,” at which time Cal Fire arson, Moreno Valley PD, and Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit investigators responded to the scene and assumed the investigation, according to Brosche.

Based on that investigation, officials eventually arrested the minor and she was later booked into juvenile hall.

The morning after the blaze, homicide and arson investigators were seen combing through the heavily damaged home; documenting, photographing and collecting various items of potential evidence.

Officials eventually spread out through the Moreno Valley neighborhood questioning neighbors and area residents about the fire. Residents later described that investigators wanted to know more about the family involved in the tragic fire.

Investigators also wanted to know about any specific information regarding the victim as well as the girl who now sits in a cell, charged with her murder.

In an interview with Press Enterprise, Alvaro Martinez – who said he has lived next door to the family for about three years, explained he knew the accused teenager and her family and that he was one of those who called 911 to report the fire after smelling smoke late Tuesday night.

According to Alvarez, as smoke billowed from the home and flames licked from the windows, he and other neighbors banged on the home’s front door but they got no response.

Alvarez told PE, the teen had previously expressed to him her unhappiness with her home life and her mother’s new boyfriend, who “had tried to be a father figure” to the alleged suspect following the death of her own father a few years earlier.

Alvarez also mentioned that the woman killed in Tuesday’s fire had been bedridden since being burned in yet another fire at the same home a few months ago and that he sometimes was called upon to help her back into bed when she would fall.

It was not immediately known if officials are now looking into that fire as well as this most recent one and an online search for information related to the previous fire Alvarez mentioned yielded no results.

Citing the ongoing investigation officials have stated they will not be releasing any additional information at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to immediately contact Detective Mullins with the Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777 or Detective Leon with the Moreno Valley Police Department at (951) 486-6700. Callers can refer to incident file number MV180930493 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s Homicide Tipline online form.

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Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.