An elderly Oklahoma homeowner and his friend are facing murder charges for allegedly setting fire to a building after the occupants who lived there refused to leave, according to police.
Allen Shaw, 89, and Randy Sander, 68, were each charged with second-degree murder and second-degree arson.
Deputies were first called on Feb. 20 to a property owned by Shaw in Idabel, a small town in southeastern Oklahoma.
Shaw told McCurtain County sheriff’s deputies that the two individuals who lived there hadn’t paid rent in the last two years and he wanted them out of the house. The couple, meanwhile, told deputies that they were “concerned because he had been out there several times.”
Allen Shaw, 89, was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree arson for allegedly setting his home on fire after the people renting it refused to leave. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)
No laws had been broken at the time, so deputies advised Shaw and the couple about the eviction process and left.
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About one week later on March 2, Shaw allegedly returned to the home with his friend, Sander, and the pair set the house on fire. Both individuals who lived at the home were outside at one point, but the female went back inside to try to rescue her pets, according to police.
Randy Sander, 68, allegedly helped Shaw start the fire. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)
The woman, 43-year-old Danette Stowe, and her two dogs were found dead inside the home after firefighters put out the blaze. Her husband sustained injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
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Shaw and Sander were arrested later that day at a different home in Idabel. They are both being held on $500,000 bonds at the McCurtain County Jail.
