PHOENIX — The man accused of setting a fire in north Phoenix that killed an elderly woman and injured another person had an injunction filed against him for harassment just two days before the fire, according to court documents.
Wayne Everett Tweed, 59, is facing charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, arson of an occupied structure and kidnapping.
Officials said the fire was intentionally set on Nov. 9 at a home near West Beardsley Road and 35th Avenue.
Elizabeth Bell, 86, died in the fire.
Court documents are revealing new details about the man charged in the case and his behavior prior to the fire.
Tweed was a former caregiver to Bell and had lived at her house.
The second victim who survived the fire told investigators Tweed had been hired a year before to be Bell's caregiver.
The surviving victim told investigators Tweed's behaviors had led to the injunction being filed against Tweed and he was not allowed on the property.
The surviving victim described Tweed as having grown increasingly erratic in the year he had worked as a caregiver. While on the victim's property, Tweed had gotten into fights with his girlfriend. He had also tampered with the air conditioning unit. He had a habit of starting large bonfires in the backyard of the house. He was also known to carry a lighter and lighter fluid.
As a result, an injunction against harassment was filed against Tweed.
According to the surviving victim, on the day of the fire, Tweed had come to the property several times starting early in the morning.
Tweed first came to the home around 6 a.m. Police were called but Tweed left before they arrived.
As the day progressed Tweed continued to come to the home. The surviving victim told Tweed to leave and he refused. The victim got into an argument with Tweed and he left.
Right before the fire started, the surviving victim looked out of one of the home's windows and saw Tweed. Less than a minute later he heard a crack from the kitchen and saw the house engulfed in flames.
Investigators obtained video footage taken by a surveillance camera at a nearby home from the day the fire started. The video showed a white male wearing a black cowboy hat, a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and black work boots.
The man was standing by a gated opening on the northeast corner of the house. He went into the gated area and stayed there for a short time. Just after, flames erupted from the area.
The man has since been identified as Tweed.
During the arson investigation, a K9 unit specializing in detecting accelerants found two locations where accelerants were possibly present. Both locations were where Tweed had been observed near the home just before the fire.
Tweed was arrested at his mother's home the next day, following an hours-long standoff with police. He was found to have drugs and drug paraphernalia in his possession.
During an interview with police, Tweed admitted he had gone to the victim's house several times during the day of the fire. He also admitted to using the drug fentanyl.
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