A man was arrested Sunday on charges of murder and arson in connection with an apartment fire in Deerfield Beach that killed a woman and her dog, authorities said.
Firefighters and Broward Sheriff’s deputies were called to the apartment duplex in the 4300 block of Northwest Fourth Avenue shortly after 4:30 a.m. Friday. It was engulfed in flames when they arrived, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Ana De Souza, 54, who lived at the duplex, and her dog were found dead inside after firefighters extinguished the blaze.
Authorities arrested Genivaldo Gomes Moreira, 41, on Sunday in Manatee County after he fled South Florida in a gold 2002 Saturn, the Sheriff’s Office said. He also lived in the Deerfield Beach duplex.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide details about any connection between Moreira and De Souza. De Souza’s relatives told WTVJ-Ch. 6 that the two were in a relationship that recently ended.
Moreira had not yet been extradited to Broward County as of Tuesday afternoon. He is facing one count of felony murder, arson and cruelty to an animal, the Sheriff’s Office said.
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