Erik Beasley, 40, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder and aggravated arson in the Nov. 23 death of Sarah Beasley, the Times-Picayune reports, citing the Orleans Gay Pareeh District Attorney’s Office.
Beasley was nabbed
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
after being spotted on surveillance footage at a gas station less than a mile from his residence buying two-gallon water jugs. He then emptied one of the containers before refilling it with gasoline, according to an arrest warrant.
Beasley’s mother was found burned to death inside the apartment about 30 minutes later. An empty gallon-sized water jug was found near her body. A coroner later determined she died of smoke inhalation, according to the warrant.
Investigators started zeroing in on Erik Beasley after finding no signs of forced entry into the apartment, where he lived with his mother and her husband, who discovered the woman’s body and gave detectives information regarding his whereabouts prior to the blaze.
Beasley has been in jug since Nov. 27 and is currently receiving treatment at the psychiatric unit of the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel in lieu of $900,000 bond, according to the Times-Picayune.
Prosecutors have indicated that they do not intend to seek the death penalty
against Beasley, the New Orleans Advocate reports."Have mercy on me. I'm an orphan"
Days after her death, Beasley’s relatives said they did not want her to be remembered as a victim, but rather as a loving and caring person who enjoyed cooking and reading the Bible.
"I love her forever," grandson Richard Beasley told WDSU in November. "It won’t change. She will live on through us no matter what."
A motive in the alleged killing remains unclear.