Police Question Homeless Man in Deadly Arson Fire

SEAL BEACH, CA - A homeless man wanted for questioning in the arson death of a 67-year-old Seal Beach man has been cleared as a suspect in the case according to investigators.

Eric Jesus Andrade, 37, wanted for questioning since the deadly blaze in April that killed John Donnelly, turned up at the Seal Beach Police station and cooperated with investigators, said Sgt. Michael Henderson.

At this point, police do not think Andrade is a suspect in the deadly arson. Investigators are expanding their search for suspects, Henderson said.

Andrade, who at one point was a person of interest in the case was not detained at any point.

Andrade knew Donnelly, because Donnelly would let Andrade and other local homeless folks sleep on his property by his garage, according to police.

Investigators suspect the blaze that killed Donnelly and his dog on the night of April 30th was deliberately set because a police dog sniffed an accelerant at the scorched two-story duplex in the 200 block of 17th Street. Police have not yet nailed down the type of accelerant used.

Police have been poring over several hours of surveillance video for clues.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Pete Krok at (562) 799-4100, ext. 1110, or police dispatchers at (562) 594-7232.