Arson, Manslaughter Charges Filed In Fire That Killed Man, 5 Dogs In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township woman has been charged with arson and manslaughter in connection with an April fire that killed five dogs and eventually led to the death of the next-door neighbor, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato said Friday.

Dianna Lynn Wills, 56, of Martin Way in the Whiting section, was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree aggravated arson and second-degree manslaughter in the April 7 fire at 3 Kingfisher Way in Manchester, the prosecutor's office said.

The fire was reported about 9:35 p.m. on April 7 and arriving firefighters and Manchester Township police officers found the structure fully involved with flames coming out of the roof, officials said. The homeowner got out safely and was able to call for help but his five dogs were trapped inside the home and died in the fire, authorities said.

The fire ultimately consumed the majority of the structure, resulting in the Manchester Township Building Inspector deeming the dwelling uninhabitable, authorities said.

>>READ MORE: Fire Destroys Manchester Home, Kills 5 Dogs: Police

The home next to the fire, at 160 Mockingbird Way, sustained heat damage and the homeowner, Steve Kundin, was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms for treatment of smoke inhalation. Kundin died on May 31 while still hospitalized, the prosecutor's office said. An autopsy June 4 by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Kundin's death resulted from the smoke inhalation he suffered on April 7, and was ruled a homicide, authorities said.

The fire investigation, meanwhile, revealed the blaze had started near the north side of the stairs leading to the front door of the home, and had started when an open flame was introduced to available combustibles, the prosecutor's office said. Further investigation revealed Wills had been at the front door of 3 Kingfisher Way prior to the homeowner discovering the fire and that she was subsequently responsible for initiating the blaze, authorities said.

Wills is being held at the Ocean County Jail, Toms River, pending a detention hearing.

Coronato said the investigation is continuing and "the stated charges may be amended or expanded," his office said. In addition to detectives from the Prosecutor’s Office Arson Task Force and the Manchester Township Police Department, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit and the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office assisted with the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by OCPO Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Bridget Coughlin.

Photo via Ocean County Prosecutor's Office