Death penalty sought for accused killer of Arcadia boys

ARCADIA, Fla. The state attorney’s office is seeking the death penalty for a 49-year-old woman accused of killing three boys last month, court documents show.

Marian Evette Williams allegedly ignited the deadly March 11 fire at the South Lee Avenue home that claimed the lives of brothers Marcus Clark, 10, Kiani Clark, 8, and Kemaren Clark, 4.

The boys were staying with their grandfather, Arnold Mele, who is Williams’ ex-boyfriend, when the blaze started. The fire destroyed the house.

“I don’t know what I got to do,” Mele said Thursday. “I just lost everything … everything.”

Mele and new girlfriend Theresa Redding were able to escape.

“I fell asleep. After that she said, ‘Arnold! Get out of bed! Arnold! Arnold! We got a fire in the house!'” Mele said. “I said, ‘What?’ I kicked the door and I see all this smoke. … I don’t know how I got out (of) the house.”

Mele tried to rescue the children but couldn’t, he said, showing the burns he suffered on his arms while trying to save them. The traumatic experience left him reeling.

“I’m lost,” Mele said. “Yeah, I’m just lost. I’m just lost.”

The family has bonded closer together since the fire, other family members said, and the community has shown its support. The boys’ funeral expenses were paid for by various fundraising events, which raised over $70,000. City Council declared March 11 as Clark Brothers Memorial Day at its last meeting.

“(I) appreciate people do that kind of stuff for us,” Mele said. “I do appreciate.”

Williams facing charges of charges of arson, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree murder, according to court documents. She’s in the DeSoto County Jail with no bond.