91-Year-Old Shot, Set on Fire in Detroit

Police conducted a search early Tuesday morning on a house located next door to the home of 91-year-old Paul Monchnik, who was killed in his home Monday morning.

Police sources say evidence has been found linking the teen to Monchnik’s murder and the arson of his home on Bentler Street in northwest Detroit.

Sgt. Michael Woody told the Detroit News that “Investigators found that the body was covered with an accelerant, most likely gasoline, and that it had sustained potentially fatal trauma to the body prior to being set on fire”, Woody said.

Chief James Craig told reporters that the victim was attacked during a burglary.

“In order for the suspect to cover his tracks, he made a decision to go leave the location, obtain some gasoline, return and set the victim and the home on fire”, Craig said. Police have released a security camera image of a suspect they say was seen buying a jug full of gasoline at a nearby store.

Police on Monday morning released a photo and video of the suspect taken from surveillance footage at the gas station.

Police and and fire personnel were called to this home in the 20500… “Two minutes later, I walk in the house and we smell fire”.

“There’s nobody else that would borrow the auto”, he said.

Results of an autopsy were pending on Monday evening, a spokesman for the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office adds.