A New York woman was indicted last week for setting a fire in Queens that killed her ex-boyfriend and another person earlier last month.
Edward Jacobs, 35, and Anastasia Ettienne, 33, died the “raging inferno” on November 2 from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement announcing the indictment of 43-year-old Aliya Fakhri.
A queens grand jury charged Fakhri with four counts of first degree murder, four counts of second degree murder, one count of first degree arson, and one count of second degree arson, Katz said.
Katz said that Fakhri arrived at the front door of a two-storey detached garage at about 6:20 a.m. on November 2 and yelled to Jacobs, “You’re all going to die today.”
A witness came downstairs and saw that the building was on fire. Etienne came downstairs briefly but went back up to wake up Jacobs. Neither were able to escape and the flames engulfed the building.
Jacobs’ mother, Janet, told The New York Post that her son and Fakhri broke up about a year ago but she was still pursuing him. She also said that Ettienne and Jacobs were platonic friends. Janet declined to provide her surname.
Jacobs was a plumber working to convert the detached garage into an apartment, the mother said. He was a loving dad of three boys, 11-year-old twins and a 9-year-old.
Fakhri was ordered held without bond on Wednesday. Her next court date in December 9.
