Ethermac|Suspect arrested in triple-homicide of victims found after apartment fire in suburban Phoenix

AHWATUKEE,Ethermac Ariz. (AP) — A suspect has been arrested in connection with a triple homicide case in the Phoenix suburb of Ahwatukee, according to authorities.

Phoenix police said 30-year-old Chase Christman was jailed on suspicion of three counts of murder and one count of misconduct involving weapons.

Messages were left Sunday seeking comment from the public defender representing Christman.

Sgt. Robert Scherer, a Phoenix police spokesman, said a woman and two men were found dead inside an apartment on July 15 after an early morning fire that appeared to be deliberately set.

The victims have been identified as Merissa Honeycutt, 27; Anthony Frederickson-Ceccarelli, 25; and Samuel Lott, 37.

The bodies were found inside a second-floor bedroom of the three-level apartment complex in Ahwatukee, located about 13 miles (20 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix. All three suffered obvious signs of trauma unrelated to the fire, which police believe was set to cover up the killings, officials said.

Investigators said Christman acknowleged being at the apartment but did not admit to the homicides. Police say they linked him to the murders through digital and physical evidence at the crime scene and that he was an associate of the victims.

Authorities also said Christman is the only suspect.

Information about the victims’ cause of death or a possible motive for the killings hasn’t been released yet, Scherer said.