Investigators believe a woman with a vendetta against her estranged husband set a house on fire while his new girlfriend’s children were still inside.
According to a warrant from the Baton Rouge Fire Department, things escalated after 40-year-old Shannon Blackson got into a wreck with her husband and the victim, his current girlfriend, on April 2.
Blackson admitted to investigators that she followed her husband to a hotel on College Drive after the wreck and confronted him. Both Blackson’s car and the victim’s vehicle were left at the same auto repair shop, where the husband worked, that day.
According to the arrest documents, Blackson went on to borrow her mother’s vehicle so she could “check” on her car. Employees at the repair shop later said they returned to work the next morning to find Blackson’s car gone and the victim’s vehicle vandalized.
That same night, witnesses reported seeing a suspicious vehicle outside the victim’s home on Howell Drive. That home was then set ablaze around 2 a.m. April 3, according to investigators with the fire department.
An eyewitness reported seeing something resembling a Molotov cocktail being thrown into the house. The victim’s two children, ages 12 and 3, were inside the house at the time but made it out unharmed.
More: Mom Set Newborn on Fire in The Middle of The Street Was Sentenced to 30 Years
Law enforcement officials later spoke with the victim and Blackson’s estranged husband, who claimed that Blackson had been terrorizing them. They showed investigators threatening text messages and social media posts Blackson made the day of the fire saying, “f*** them kids” and “Dnt play wit me Play wit yo kids (laugh emoji) I’m gon win everytime.”
She allegedly sent other messages referencing a news story about the fire saying, “when u hear u gon know did you see the news.”
On April 20, the man claimed Blackson followed him from work to find out where he and his girlfriend were staying. He said they got into a confrontation at a store, but he then drove around until he lost sight of Blackson.
Blackson avoided law enforcement until Monday, April 26, when she was taken into custody. She was booked on charges of aggravated arson, terrorizing and simple criminal damage to property.
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