ASPEN, Colo. (AP) -- The 69-year-old man suspected of setting fire to the apartment complex where he died this week hanged himself, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspect, Robert Seawell, was found hanging in his apartment after Monday's fires were doused, Aspen Police Detective Jim Crowley said. A determination of whether Seawell committed suicide or was killed by the fire was pending an autopsy scheduled for later Tuesday.
Three fires were set in the 40-unit Aspen Country Inn complex, with gasoline used as an accelerant in each case, Crowley said.
The alarm went off at about 3:30 a.m. Monday, sending residents stumbling outside into subfreezing temperatures. No injuries were reported.
Seawell faced eviction this week from the complex that caters to retirees. Crowley said the eviction was believed to be a key part of the motive for setting the fires, but said there were other factors he would not disclose.
Seawell had a criminal record that included theft allegations, but no violent crimes, police said. The arson fires included one in a basement storage unit and one in a manager's office; authorities also said natural gas lines had been tampered with.
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