ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY -- The man accused in the arson death of an
Altoona toddler died as the result of an apparent suicide sources said
Friday.
Aaron Dishong, 62, was being held in the Blair County Prison for the November 15, 2012 for the death of 3-year-old Darrel Etchison Jr. and the fire at the boy's South Second Street home.
"I'm glad we won't have to go through a trial and relive it all over again," Darrel's mother Brandy Etchison said on the phone Friday morning.
Brandy Etchison and her 2-year-old daughter Madison just barely escaped the fire that morning. She had to jump from an upstairs window with the girl. Brandy now wears a back brace and uses a walker because of the injuries she received in blaze.
Police said Dishong was attempting to kill his former girlfriend when he set the fire. That woman, however, was not inside the home. She was known to stay there.
Brandy saw Dishong for the first time since the fire on Wednesday. Dishong was in Blair County's Central Court for his preliminary hearing. District Judge Jeffrey Auker sent all of his charges to court, including homicide, arson and other related counts.
A posting on Dishong's Facebook page, shortly before the fire, appeared to show that he had suicidal tendencies.
Aaron Dishong, 62, was being held in the Blair County Prison for the November 15, 2012 for the death of 3-year-old Darrel Etchison Jr. and the fire at the boy's South Second Street home.
"I'm glad we won't have to go through a trial and relive it all over again," Darrel's mother Brandy Etchison said on the phone Friday morning.
Brandy Etchison and her 2-year-old daughter Madison just barely escaped the fire that morning. She had to jump from an upstairs window with the girl. Brandy now wears a back brace and uses a walker because of the injuries she received in blaze.
Police said Dishong was attempting to kill his former girlfriend when he set the fire. That woman, however, was not inside the home. She was known to stay there.
Brandy saw Dishong for the first time since the fire on Wednesday. Dishong was in Blair County's Central Court for his preliminary hearing. District Judge Jeffrey Auker sent all of his charges to court, including homicide, arson and other related counts.
A posting on Dishong's Facebook page, shortly before the fire, appeared to show that he had suicidal tendencies.
Comments
Bless that family.
Robert P.
December 7, 2012 at 11:48 am
