TITUS COUNTY, Texas — A Mount Pleasant man has been arrested for murder following a house fire that claimed the life of a disabled military veteran.
On Nov. 26, a house in the 100 Block of County Road 3070 caught fire. Inside was 75-year-old Gary Doyle Strawn, as well as his granddaughter and her friend who were spending the night.
Strawn became aware of the fire and woke up his sleeping granddaughter and her friend who both made it out of the house safely. Strawn was unable to get to safety and died before anyone could get him out of the home.
During the investigation of the fire, there were indications that the fire may have been intentionally set. The Texas State Fire Marshalls were called to the scene the following day to inspect the remains of the residence.
Titus County Sheriff’s Investigators looked into the circumstances surrounding Strawn’s death throughout the following weeks and developed probable cause for the arrest of a suspect — Mercer Bejorg McCoo Jr., 26, of Mount Pleasant.
Titus County Sheriff's Deputies arrested McCoo on Wednesday, Dec. 22 on a charge of murder for Gary Strawn. McCoo was arrested on the 200 Block of Gibson Street in Mount Pleasant without incident and booked into the Titus County Jail where he awaits arraignment for the First Degree Felony offense.
This is an ongoing story.
