Suspect arrested after man, woman killed inside DeKalb home that was burned

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A neighborhood is getting some answers after investigators discovered that two people found during a house fire were shot and killed. Now someone is in custody.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Cynthia Mitchell woke up to an unusual noise early last Monday morning.

“Pop, pop, pop, pop. My son thought it was gunfire. He woke me up, so I came outside looking on the porch, looking to see if I see anything. I saw the orange glow, I seen some fire,” Mitchell told Channel 2′s Candace McCowan.

She thought that popping noise was just the beginning of a fire that engulfed the house on Cohassett Lane Sept. 9.

It was hours later that she learned the two people who lived in the house, Brittany Hall and Derris Woods, died.

And now investigators say it wasn’t the fire that killed them, but instead gunshots.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Metro schools placed on lockdown following bomb threats
• Julie Chrisley resentencing: This is how much prison time prosecutors are asking for
• Woman walks into home, shoots her sister before turning gun on herself

Neighbors didn’t really think twice about the fire until they saw a sign that was posted in the front yard of the burnt-out home, saying Georgia Arson Control was offering a reward of up to $10,000.

That’s when they began to worry.

“Because of the sign out there in the yard saying arson and the homicide detective so it has to be more than just fire,” Mitchell said.

DeKalb County Police detectives now say they were able to quickly identify the suspect, who was later arrested in Mississippi.

The news has left Mitchell with mixed emotions.

“I haven’t been able to sleep to find out what’s going on over there. I’m so glad to hear that, somebody arrested, I may can rest tonight,” Mitchell said. “It’s still scary. It’s scary.”

Investigators have not released the name of the suspect or said what led to the murders.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

Gwinnett police looking for ATM thieves who stole thousands of dollars

©2024 Cox Media Group