Chandler murder suspects indicted
HUNTSVILLE — Two men accused of starting a fire that resulted in the death of a Helenwood woman have been indicted on murder charges.
Robert C. Bell, 49, and Gary L. Sellers, 47, were both indicted by the Scott County Grand Jury on Monday on charges of aggravated arson and first degree murder.
Those charges stem from a Labor Day weekend fire that killed the men’s neighbor, Melissa Chandler.
Authorities allege that the two men started the fire to “burn out” the Chandlers. Melissa Chandler’s husband, Timothy Chandler, had been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor a month earlier, and had made bail and been released from jail four days before the fire occurred.
The fire began in the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 2. Special Agent Daniel Foster of the State Fire Marshal’s Office testified at a preliminary hearing two weeks ago that the fire began on the front porch of the residence.
The Chandlers’ attempt to escape the flames was hampered by the fact that an exterior door at the rear of their Butler Lane home had been nailed shut by the home’s owner well before the time of the fire. Authorities say that Melissa Chandler was unresponsive by the time a neighbor was able to smash through the rear door to allow the couple’s escape.
Chandler’s husband and Scott County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Kris Lewallen were able to revive Chandler, but she died a short time later at Scott County Hospital.
According to Foster’s testimony, Bell told him that he did not intend for anyone to be hurt in the fire. However, Assistant D.A. Tom Barclay said at the preliminary hearing that state statute allows for first degree murder charges if an intentionally set fire kills an unintended person.