LONGVIEW, Texas — A 21-year-old man accused of killing another man and intentionally setting a Longview building on fire claimed in a jail phone call the victim attacked him, he hurt the other man and burned the structure to cover it up, arrest documents show.
Donald Ray Miller Jr., of Longview, is charged with murder and arson in connection with the June 7 death of Ronnie Moody, 66, of Longview. Miller remains jailed on bonds totaling $200,000.
Police said the Longview Fire Department responded to the 100 block of East Avalon Ave and after putting out the fire, they found a body, which was later identified as Moody.
According to the arrest affidavit, when Longview firefighters responded to the structure fire around 1 a.m. One of the firefighters noted there was a vacancy notice on the front door, leading him to believe there was no one living in the house.
While walking in the residence, another firefighter kicked the leg of a body. She confirmed it was a body, which was identified as Moody using fingerprint data, the affidavit said.
Moody was carried to the yard, where life-saving measures were attempted but he was ultimately determined to be deceased, the document read.
One of the firefighters noticed a trail of blood as they moved Moody's body, showing his injuries were not consistent with those sustained in a structure fire, the affidavit stated. Crews also noticed trauma to the back of Moody's head.
Upon searching the residence, officials determined there were five fire points of origin, which furthered investigators' belief that the blaze was set intentionally. By viewing nearby surveillance video from a business, investigators saw a man, who was later identified as Miller, go under the carport of the residence and portions of the carport were illuminated by what appeared to be a flashlight, the document said.
The light then shines through multiple windows of the home as the man is walking through the residence. He is seen exiting the house and going in and out, the affidavit stated.
The video also showed a man matching Moody’s description exiting the house, walking to the end of the driveway and then going back inside the home, the affidavit read.
After Miller was identified as the suspect, an arrest warrant was issued and he was booked into the Gregg County Jail. In a jail phone call to his “mom,” his mother asks about a news article regarding the case and he confirms it was about him, the affidavit stated.
Miller told his mother he went inside the home because he thought it was abandoned but he was attacked by someone inside. Miller said he hurt the person and tried to cover up what he did by burning the building, the document explained.