Jonesville teens charged with arson, murder

Published 12:04 am Sunday, February 9, 2014

JONESVILLE — Two Catahoula Parish men have been charged with second-degree murder after the Louisiana State Fire Marshall’s Office ruled a deadly house fire was an arson.

Conner Thomas and Trey Seward, both 17 and of Jonesville, were arrested by Fire Marshal’s Office investigators and booked into the Catahoula Parish jail Friday night. They were also charged with aggravated arson and are being detained without bond.

The arrests were made in connection with a Friday fire that claimed the life of Kevin Wiley, 36, which investigators now say was intentionally set.

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Jonesville firefighters were dispatched to 1005 Pecan St. at approximately 4 a.m. after a neighbor reported a fire at the mobile home there.

Firefighters found the home heavily venting smoke and flames. They discovered Wiley’s body on the bedroom floor after bringing the fire under control.

Wiley was the only person living in the residence.

Investigators later determined the blaze started in the area of the living room, but that the house did not have electrical power or working smoke alarms at the time the fire was started.