Holt, Canberra: Man is charged with murder after 36-year-old dies in house fire
A man has been charged with murder and arson a week after emergency services were called to a house fire in Canberra where a body was discovered.
ACT Police and ACT Fire and Rescue were called to a house fire at Giltinan Place, Holt, at around 2.50am on May 22.
When the fire was extinguished, the body of a 36-year-old man was found in the home.
The body of a 36-year-old man was found in a house fire in Canberra last week. Photo: ABC News
The police have started an investigation into the suspicious fire. Photo: ABC News
Police launched an investigation into the suspicious fire and arrested a 38-year-old man from Canberra City at a house on Northbourne Avenue about 7.30am on Thursday.
Police allege he purchased an accelerant that was used to set the house on fire.
It will also be alleged in court that the two men knew each other and that the house was set on fire due to a dispute between the couple.
Police will also argue that the man should have known that someone would have been in the home at the time of the arson, and that the murder charge is therefore justified.