A deadly fire that erupted in a Phoenix mobile home last Sunday has led to manslaughter charges being brought against 22-year-old Joel Hernandez Anaya. The incident, which occurred near 24th Street and Union Hills Drive around 9:45 a.m., claimed the lives of Sergio Rosales Zavala, 32, and David Hernandez Estrada, 38. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, after processing the scene and conducting interviews, Phoenix police arrested Anaya. He reportedly made incriminating statements during his post-Miranda interview and faces two counts each of Reckless Manslaughter and attempted Manslaughter.
An additional account given by a neighbor described attempts to save the victims, as he saw men trying to cut through the home's wall from outside, with Anaya and two others managing to escape the flames. "There are no words to describe what happened here, truly. When you live through it and see it with your own eyes, you can't really describe what happened in the moment," the neighbor told AZFamily. Early on the day of the fire, Anaya, returning to the home after purchasing drugs and cigarettes, tried to eradicate a foul odor from his clothing with gasoline, which led to tragedy later as the windows turned black and a fire ensued.
During his court appearance, it was revealed by a prosecutor that, "Mr. Hernandez admitted that he poured gasoline on a pile of clothes inside the trailer that created the fire that led to the two victims' deaths." Given the loss of life, the court reflects a serious attitude towards this case, with concerns raised over Anaya being a danger to the community and a potential flight risk. A substantial cash bond of $500,000 has been set for Anaya, who is an undocumented Mexican national. There are fears he may attempt to escape to Mexico, as insinuated by the prosecutor during the court proceeding and reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
According to filings as mentioned in a AZFamily report, Anaya admitted in a police interview to the heavy use of cocaine and methamphetamine. "Impaired his judgement and caused him to act negligently," he claimed, explaining that he did not consider the risk of igniting a fire when he doused his clothes with gasoline. Despite Anaya's insistence that the resulting fire was accidental, he confessed that he couldn't remember all the details due to his drug use at the time.
