Man Accused Of Shooting Victim Who Was Found In Burning Home: Police

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VA — A Spotsylvania man faces murder and arson charges after police said they found a dead man in a burning home on July 29. Authorities said the victim died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Authorities have not been able to identify the victim. The medical examiner is still working to confirm the man's identity.

Police have identified the suspect as 37-year-old John Christopher Brown. Brown is charged with second degree murder, arson, and grand larceny auto.

He is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. If convicted, Brown could face more than 50 years in prison based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines.

On July 29, firefighters in Spotsylvania County responded to a home engulfed in flames in the 7500 block of Grand Brooks Road. After they extinguished the blaze, first responders found a dead man in the home, according to the police report. An autopsy showed that the man died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Through their investigation, detectives learned that a vehicle in Louisa County crashed and was set on fire. Authorities said the car belonged to the same person who owned the home that caught fire.

On Wednesday morning, detectives acquired a warrant and searched a home in the 7600 block of Grand Brooks Road. The suspect barricaded himself in the home before trying to run away, the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office said in a report. He was unable to escape, police said.