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Man arrested in fatal Wayne County arson


WAYNE COUNTY Police have made an arrest in connection with a fatal fire set last month in Wayne County.


Nineteen-year-old Daryl Riggs has been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson following the October twenty-eighth house fire that killed sixty-five-year-old Robert Allen Estep.


According to a criminal complaint, Riggs confessed on November third after a deputy responded to a gas station in Fort Gay. Riggs allegedly admitted to stabbing Estep during a “drug deal gone bad” the day before the fire, claiming Estep had attacked him with a knife. Riggs said he managed to take control of the knife, allegedly slicing Estep multiple times in the abdomen. Riggs told authorities he returned later to pour gasoline and set the house on fire.


Investigators say Riggs’ statements about whether Estep was alive when he left the residence were inconsistent. Riggs also revealed that a second individual was involved in the initial altercation but did not identify them.


The complaint notes that Riggs’ brother and cousin, who were at the gas station, confirmed parts of his confession. Riggs’ cousin, identified as Estep’s son, told police Riggs admitted both to the stabbing and setting the fire.


Riggs is being held without bond at the Western Regional Jail.

PHOTO | WVRJA


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