Two brothers have been indicted on charges of second-degree murder, after allegedly leaving their grandmother to die inside a burning home, and saving their meth-making equipment instead, according to the Star-Gazette.
The district attorney said that while the two did not intend to kill their 82-year-old grandmother Gladys Ann Willow, the murder charge “reflects a greater level of recklessness” than manslaughter. Authorities are attributing the fire to an accident that occurred relating to the meth lab.
According to police, Willow died of injuries she suffered while she trapped inside the burning home. The incident took place in Riverside, a small village in upstate New York.
Jarrett and Justin Gause reportedly removed all of the equipment for the makeshift meth lab, decided not to report the fire, which happened in May, and got cigarettes instead. They're also facing reckless endangerment charges for putting the firefighters in that situation.
Jarrett, 33, was indicted with the charge of second-degree murder last week and is currently in custody at a local jail. The younger brother, Justin, is out on bail.
