Woman's death in fatal fire in Sioux Falls ruled a homicide; suspect still hospitalized, police say

A fire that killed a 53-year-old woman in Sioux Falls in July has been ruled a homicide, police say.

Police spokesman Sam Clemens said a 34-year-old woman killed Charice Marie Admire when she set a fire in an apartment hallway the evening of July 17 on the 200 block of S. Grange Avenue.

Admire was transported to a Minneapolis hospital, where she died the next day, Clemens said. The suspect is still in the hospital and has not been formally charged. Clemens did not release her name because she has not been charged.

Earlier: Two people dead in separate fires in Sioux Falls, police say

"If she is able to get out of the hospital, there likely would be charges at that point in time," Clemens said.

Clemens said it took several weeks to rule the death as a homicide because police were waiting for the autopsy results. He said the coroner ruled the death as homicide by smoke inhalation.

The suspect set the fire after a disagreement with others inside the apartment. There were several people inside, and most of them were able to get out. Clemens said he didn't know why the suspect and the victim were unable to get out of the apartment.

Chronologically, the homicide is the first of the year in Sioux Falls. There have been four homicides reported in Sioux Falls this year, all in the past two months.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Woman's death in fatal fire in Sioux Falls ruled a homicide