A 39-year-old man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder charges stemming from a fire that killed two women in Hollywood, along with arson for a series of other blazes that he allegedly intentionally set.
Jovan Lamar Duverne is charged with two counts of murder stemming from the Feb. 4 deaths of Maria Del Consuelo Alarcon-Valdez, 76, and Yolanda Honda, 82, who were sisters.
The murder charges include the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with sentencing enhancements related to a prior arson conviction, according to the District Attorney’s Office, which will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against Duverne.
The two women died after Duverne allegedly set fire to their home around 2 a.m., authorities said.
He is also facing 11 felony counts of arson involving a string of fires at 10 locations across Hollywood between Jan. 26 and Feb. 4 that were allegedly set using a handheld torch-style lighter, with the defendant walking between locations lighting rubbish and trying to enter buildings, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Duverne was arrested near Hollywood Boulevard and Wilton Place later the day of the deadly fire, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
“Setting fires anywhere is reckless and extraordinarily dangerous, but deliberately igniting multiple fires in a residential community shows a shocking disregard for human life,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement last month announcing the charges.
“We allege this defendant went on a dangerous arson spree across Hollywood that ultimately claimed the lives of two elderly sisters inside their home. Our hearts are with their loved ones as they mourn this devastating loss.”
Duverne remains behind bars without bail and is due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom May 19. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.