A 19-year-old from Ethel is facing attempted second-degree murder and arson charges after investigators say he intentionally set fire to an occupied camper in Slaughter earlier this month. Braden Rojas was arrested Thursday in connection with the blaze, which broke out in the 1000 block of U.S. 67 in East Feliciana Parish.
According to KLFY, investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set while the camper was occupied. Rojas now faces three charges: attempted second-degree murder, aggravated arson, and criminal damage to property, the station reports.
What Investigators Know So Far
Per the same account, details about who was inside the camper or whether anyone suffered injuries were not immediately available. The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional information about the circumstances surrounding the fire has been released.
The East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office had requested assistance from the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal to investigate the camper fire, according to Unfiltered with Kiran. State Fire Marshal investigators worked the case alongside deputies from both the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office and the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office before Rojas's arrest was announced.
How Louisiana Law Defines the Arson Charge
Under Louisiana R.S. 14:51, aggravated arson is defined as intentionally damaging property with an explosive substance or setting fire to a structure, watercraft or movable when it is foreseeable that human life might be endangered, according to the Louisiana Legislature. That statute underpins the most serious of the three charges Rojas now faces.
Camper fires involving occupied vehicles are not unheard of in Louisiana. A Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal release noted an arrest in a separate case out of Acadia Parish in August 2025, in which deputies said a Lafayette man had set fire to an occupied camper in Church Point, though details of that case remain limited.
How to Report Suspected Arson
The Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office encourages anyone with information about fire-related crimes to submit an anonymous tip through its website at lasfm.org by selecting the Arson Fires icon, the agency notes. No further updates on the Slaughter case have been released as the investigation continues.
