A Florida man fatally stabbed a woman and abandoned her and her three children in a house fire at about midnight on Tuesday, authorities said.
Charles Leon Ivy, 34, was arrested in connection with the incident while leaving his residence in a car driven by another woman, Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) Chief Jakari Young said at a press conference aired by Fox35 Orlando.
The victim, 30-year-old Den’Jah Moore, was found dead in the house fire with multiple stab wounds, Young said. Her badly burnt 10-month-old baby later died, while the other two children, aged four and five, were seriously injured in the fire, he added.
“Heavy smoke and flames upon arrival,” the Daytona Beach Fire Department posted on Facebook, with accompanying pictures of the blazing residence.
Ivy, who is the father of the two older children, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and attempted arson following the incident, which Young described as “most definitely domestic in nature. The woman who was driving Ivy at the time of his arrest was also arrested but does not face any charges at this time, according to Young.
Ivy has previously faced charges for traffic violations, marijuana possession, a 2016 domestic incident involving a former girlfriend and a 2020 child abuse charge involving one of his children outside the DBPD’s jurisdiction, which was dropped, the chief noted.
“But with what we witnessed throughout this investigation, the defendant in this incident deserves a special place in the gates of hell for what he did to this mother and these children,” Young said. (RELATED: Louisiana Man Charged With Arson That Killed His Three Kids)
Ivy reportedly did not confess to the alleged incident but was determined to have been present at the scene and was tracked leaving the area. He also reportedly admitted to having the deceased woman’s cell phone. “We’re still doing some leg work as far as the investigation goes, but the evidence is clear, the evidence speaks for itself regarding this defendant,” Young explained.
“This is the most horrendous, the most horrific crime that I’ve experienced in my entire career,” he added.