Bellefonte man arrested for arson, attempted murder in Spring Township house fire
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 5 p.m. July 14 with details from the criminal complaint.
A 36-year-old Bellefonte man was charged with attempted murder and arson after he lit a car and house on fire Thursday evening with intentions of killing a family member who was inside the house.
The Spring Township Police Department was dispatched to a vehicle fire in the 200 block of Vanessa Drive in Spring Township around 8:22 p.m. Thursday. According to a criminal complaint, there were loud explosions and the fire spread to the house.
The complaint states that Matthew J. Davis stole a large commercial propane tank and lit that on fire. After, he walked away knowing that the vehicle would catch the house on fire and that a sibling was inside the house. The vehicle was burned to the frame and the fire burned the majority of the left side of the house.
Davis allegedly told officers he was traumatized from his childhood, he hated his siblings and Thursday was “the day that everything ended,” the complaint states.
The house was Davis’ childhood home. He previously threatened to burn it down in 2012 and while he was in jail in 2007, he spoke with cellmates about hiring someone to kill his siblings then, the complaint states.
Davis said he stole a bike from Sunnyside Boulevard in Bellefonte, that night and started riding toward the house.
He rode to Melanie Lane and parked the bike there to walk to Vanessa Drive. He attempted to break the front window of the house with a beer bottle. He attempted to light garbage next to the car on fire, but it didn’t have the “desired effect,” the complaint states. He went to the neighbor’s house and stole a 100-pound liquid propane tank, rested it on the ground, pointing toward to vehicle, and turned on the valve. He lit a piece of paper on fire and threw it in the vehicle.
Officers spoke to several witnesses who helped to identify Davis as the suspect. When officers located Davis, he produced a pocket knife and opened it up, but complied with police when ordered to drop he knife. He was taken into custody.
Davis later told police his plan was to burn the house down to kill his siblings, and to have an officer shoot and kill him once he pulled the knife, the complaint states.
One woman was inside the house when it was lit on fire. She was transported by EMS to Mount Nittany Medical Center.
Red Cross is assisting those affected.
Davis is facing several felony charges, including criminal attempt at murder in the first degree, four felony charges relating to arson (endangering persons, damaging inhabited structure, aggravated arson attempting to cause bodily injury and aggravated arson with persons present), criminal attempt at aggravated assault, causing a catastrophe, criminal mischief/damage to property intent, reckless or negligent (a third degree felony) and a misdemeanor charge for reckless endangerment.
Davis was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Casey M. McClain Friday morning and is confined to the Centre County jail. He was denied bail, as he was charged with a capital offense.
This story was originally published July 14, 2023 at 10:51 AM.
