Man charged with murder after two women die in North Carolina fire
By Jim Brumm CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (Reuters) - A North Carolina man facing charges stemming from a car crash that killed two people was charged in a separate case on Thursday with murder in a suspected arson fire at a beach condominium that killed two women. Marshall Hudson Doran, 22, was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Mary Angeline Cochran, 72, and Darlene Ann Maslar, 43, in the early Saturday morning blaze, said New Hanover County District Attorney Benjamin David. Prosecutors did not offer a possible motive for the suspected arson, which destroyed a 12-unit condominium and was one of three suspicious fires within hours of each other in Carolina Beach, a suburb south of Wilmington. Authorities have said Doran, who is being held without bail, may be connected to at least one of the other fires, both of which were set in minivans. Doran was awaiting trial in a connection with a February car crash in Wake County, in which he has been charged with two counts of felony death by motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance. He was out on bail at the time of the fires. Robert Smith Jr., who represents Doran in the Wake County case, told reporters that the defendant's family offered condolences to the fire victims' loved ones. "They've lived in this community for more than 20 years," he said. "They're absolutely heartbroken and grief-stricken over what happened this past weekend." (Editing by Jonathan Kaminsky, Lisa Shumaker and Ken Wills)
