MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say a man has been charged with aggravated murder in the stabbing death of a mother whose body was found after a house fire earlier this month.
Anson Pride, 41, was arrested after firefighters recovered the body of 28-year-old Jamaka Calhoun, Middletown police said. The Butler County coroner’s office said she died of stab wounds and classified the case as a homicide.
Chief David Birk of the Middletown police department said the victim and her young daughter arrived home Aug. 14 to find Pride in their home. Birk alleged that Pride, who had recently been released from prison, had been breaking into homes in the area.
Authorities allege that an altercation ensued and the defendant then stabbed the victim and started the fire. The girl fled and was uninjured.
Pride is also charged with murder, felonious assault, aggravated arson and burglary and evidence-tampering. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 27; it’s unclear whether he has an attorney.
