Rivalry over a woman likely compelled a 19-year-old man to firebomb a Detroit home last week, killing two children but not the intended victim, according to court documents.
Kenneth F. Nixon of Detroit had a video arraignment Sunday afternoon before Judge Robert Costello in 36th District Court. Nixon pleaded not guilty to several felony charges. He faces a sentence of up to life imprisonment if convicted on two counts of homicide and multiple counts of attempted murder and arson.
Costello denied bond and set a preliminary exam for 1:30 p.m. June 2.
Nixon's 18-year-old girlfriend was also arrested Sunday, and police said she could be charged today.
Ten-year-old Raylond McCulley was sleeping in his home on the 19400 block of Charleston when someone tossed a Molotov cocktail through a bedroom window Thursday, police said. When police responded at 11:55 p.m., he was dead. His 18-month-old half-sister, Tamyah Vaughn, died at Children's Hospital.
Three children ranging in age from 6 to 14 escaped from the fire with their mother, Naomi Vaughn.
"Whatever the reason, this wasn't worth it," Raeshawn McCulley has told the Free Press about her nephew's death.
The children's lives were allegedly snuffed by a jealous lover. According to court records, Nixon is accused of targeting a 25-year-old man who lived in the house but wasn't there when the fire spread. Nixon and the man were once friends but had been feuding for a year over Nixon's girlfriend.
Distributed by the Associated Press
