Police: Fatal Homewood fire may have been retaliation for bar fight

Police have arrested two people in connection with a fatal house fire in Homewood Wednesday.

Police charged Martell Smith and Taisia Malloy Thursday.

Smith is charged with the homicides of 4-year-old Chy'enne Manning, Shamira Staten, and Sandra Lynn Carter Douglas.  The three died in a house fire on Bennett Street in Homewood.

Detectives say Smith set the home on fire. Malloy is also charged with arson.

According to court documents, detectives believe the fire was set in retaliation for a fight that happened at a Penn Hills bar.

According to the criminal complaint, when officers took Malloy and Smith into custody, "both individuals, and the Pontiac was emanating an overwhelming smell of gasoline."

Police say there is also surveillance video of Smith buying gasoline from a Sunoco gas station.

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Channel 11 went to the Sunoco station Thursday.  The clerk said Smith was a regular and detectives came by to get the surveillance video.

“Trying to find out if a gas can was sold. Once they found out it was sold, they needed to get the time frame and then obviously they got the time frame.  The manager rewound the camera and it was him,” clerk Lisa Murray said.

Investigators said witnesses told them Smith was at the scene watching the house burn.

According to court documents, witnesses overheard him saying “Yep, I did it.”

Cox Media Group