Murrieta Dad Denies Guilt In Daughters' Fire Deaths

MURRIETA, CA — A Murrieta dad accused of child cruelty stemming from the fire deaths of two of his young daughters pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges.

Adam Joseph Keenan, 43, is charged with three counts of child cruelty resulting in great bodily injury or death and one count of being under the influence of controlled substances.

Emma Keenan, 12, and Abby Keenan, 11, and their pets died in the Dec. 20 mobile home fire in the 41600 block of Knight Drive, near Adams Avenue, in Murrieta. A third child survived the blaze.

Keenan was arraigned Tuesday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Judith Clark, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for March 25 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Keenan remains jailed in lieu of $160,000 bail.

The mother of the deceased children, Stacey Jo Hales, 46, is also charged in the case. She is facing two counts of arson resulting in great bodily injury or death, one count of arson to an inhabited structure resulting in great bodily injury or death, three counts of child cruelty, one count of animal abuse and one count of being under the influence of controlled substances, with a sentence-enhancing allegation of victimizing multiple people in an act of arson.

She's free on a $160,000 bail bond and is scheduled for arraignment on April 14.

Investigators determined that a cooktop stove being used outdoors is what led to the deadly Christmastime inferno, according to documents obtained Monday by Patch.

On the night of the fire, Hales was cooking tortilla chips in hot oil on a propane stove located in the mobile home's wooden carport area, according to Murrieta Police Department declarations in support of the parents' arrests.

When done cooking, Hales went to bed. She later told police she was unsure whether she had turned off the stove's burner and admitted she had not turned off the propane tank, according to the arrest declarations.

Murrieta Fire and Rescue determined the stove sparked the deadly fire that spread to the mobile home and nearby combustibles, including vehicles and a pine tree.

"Upon arrival, first responders found the mobile home, carport, three vehicles, two outbuildings, and a large pine tree fully engulfed in flames," according to the police department.

During the fire, Keenan escaped through a bedroom window with one 11-year-old child but could not get to Emma and Abby. Hales also escaped.

Firefighters later found the deceased sisters in the home's living room. Their bodies were about 7 feet from each other, according to the arrest declarations.

During police interviews with the parents, Keenan told investigators that he previously warned Hales about her cooking practices, telling her she could "kill somebody one day," the declarations show.

There was a prior kitchen fire at the home that caused "significant damage," and Hales told investigators she began cooking outdoors as a result, according to the declarations.

The home also lacked a properly functioning smoke alarm system. Hales and Keenan allegedly showed investigators exposed wires where alarms should have been mounted.

Additionally, the home's front entrance was partially blocked by dog crates and other items, according to the declarations. It's unclear whether the items blocked an escape route for Emma and Abby. The arrest declarations state that the girls died from "inhalation of products of combustion."

Police allege that both Hales and Keenan were methamphetamine users and that their judgment was likely compromised on the night of the fire.

Toxicology analyses were performed on both parents post-fire. Methamphetamine and cannabinoids were found in their systems, according to the declarations.

While the fire appears accidental, prosecutors allege the parents were negligent and caused the deaths of the two children.

—City News Service contributed to Tuesday's court reporting.