Platte County man charged with murder and arson in fire that left one dead in Weston
A Platte County man has been charged with murder and arson after a house fire left a man dead Sunday morning in Weston, Missouri, officials said Monday.
Anthony Fleming, 24, of Weston, is accused of setting fire to a home in the 600 block of Prospect Street, according to a news release from Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd. The blaze resulted in the death of Timothy Darby, 60, whose body was found in the kitchen.
Sheriff’s deputies and Weston police officers were called just before 2 a.m. to the structure fire, according to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office. Weston is a community of about 1,640 people about 30 miles northwest of downtown Kansas City.
In the Sunday news release, the sheriff’s office called the fire “suspicious.”
According to court records, Fleming is accused of intentionally setting the home on fire between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Sunday. He then fled the property and was found in a wooded area about a mile away, wearing only socks.
Fleming had tried to hide from authorities using a wall of sticks and tree limbs, according to charging documents.
When police found him, “Fleming had soot all over him and numerous injuries on his hands and body,” court documents read.
Fleming later admitted to setting the fire, court records allege. A family member of Darby’s told police Fleming had been using methamphetamine in the days leading up to the fire.
Numerous agencies, including the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office, assisted at the scene of the fire.
Fleming’s charges of first-degree arson and second-degree murder each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He is being held without bond in the Platte County jail.
