Man accused of setting Phoenix carport fire is also a murder suspect
May 30, 2019, 10:40 AM | Updated: 6:40 pm
PHOENIX – The man arrested Thursday in connection to a Phoenix carport fire also is a suspect in a northern Arizona murder case.
Francis Claude Klettke, 23, was already facing a first-degree murder charge for a 2016 case in Yavapai County when he was taken into custody to be booked for arson, according to court records.
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He was arrested in California after his father, Dale Klettke, was found shot to death at a campsite near Camp Verde in October 2016, according to ABC15.
He was extradited back to Arizona and eventually released on bond.
Phoenix Fire released a photo of Klettke on Wednesday, which Capt. Rob McDade said was instrumental in helping find the suspect.
McDade said the suspect was sleeping on a bus stop bench when a citizen recognized him and called authorities.
About 30 firefighters put out the blaze Tuesday morning that destroyed a dozen vehicles and caused minimal damage to a nearby apartment building.
The fire broke out around 5:30 a.m. at the complex near 15th Avenue and Camelback Road and caused the building to lose power.
Nobody was injured and no residents were displaced due to the fire.
