Man charged with murder in Indy mobile home fire DISCLAIMER: This article contains brief mentions of domestic violence and may not be suitable for all readers. INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man arrested in connection with the murder-arson death of a woman at a southwest side mobile home has been formally charged, court records show. Randall Buchanan, 54, was taken into custody on Feb. 25 after his girlfriend, 59-year-old Bonnie Arnold, News 8 previously reported that Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to the 2800 block of Landola Lane around 8:30 a.m. Feb. 25 for a death investigation. That’s in the Lantern Estates mobile home park off of Lynhurst Drive and Troy Avenue. Minutes earlier, a call for a “trailer mobile home fire with entrapment” was reported at the same location. A probable cause affidavit obtained by News 8 Wednesday said when fire investigators entered the home, they found the fire had self-extinguished after originating from the living room couch. “Most of the couch cushions had burned away in the fire. The walls, floor, ceiling, and furniture in the surrounding areas were fire-damaged and covered in soot. The kitchen, open to the living room, was covered in soot as well. Several items in the kitchen and on the kitchen table were frayed or melted,” the affidavit said. They later found a deceased Arnold lying in the bedroom. She did not have any burn injuries from the fire but was covered in soot, detectives say. Investigators added she may have been trying to escape from the home when she passed out from smoke inhalation. An autopsy of Arnold later found her airway “blackened” with soot, but there were no other injuries that may have contributed to her death. Roommate reports Arnold, Buchanan fought often In later speaking with Arnold’s roommate, police learned that Arnold and her boyfriend, Buchanan, fought frequently to the point where the roommate said they struggled to sleep at night because of the fighting. The roommate had only been living with Arnold for less than a month, but was looking to move out as Arnold and Buchanan were being evicted. According to the roommate, Buchanan and Arnold were fighting when they left for work around 10:15 p.m. the night before. They returned home the next morning to find fire damage, the dog suffering with burns, and Arnold dead in the back bedroom. Buchanan’s arrest, interview with police Detectives tracked Buchanan and Arnold’s cream-colored Mercury Grand Marquis in the 100 block of Betsy Lane at the Country Club Apartments off West Troy Avenue, 15 minutes away from the scene. Police later noted Buchanan’s hands were covered in soot. Officers took Buchanan to the IMPD Homicide Office for an interview, where he told investigators that he arrived home the night before around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. He noted he’d used meth around an hour before getting home. Court documents say Buchanan claimed he and Arnold got into an argument and he left the home feeling “jealous and angry.” He told police he then walked to a Family Dollar nearby and stole a box of matches, intending to return and start a fire. Coming home, he said he looked for lighter fluid while Arnold was in their shared bedroom with the door closed. He told police he eventually “found a bottle of nail polish remover, sprayed the living room couch with it, and lit the couch on fire. He left as the smoke alarm (began) sounding.” Buchanan says he came back around an hour later and saw the damage the fire caused. He claimed he could not find Arnold inside, so he “opened the fridge to look for a drink” and then left, throwing out the box of matches and three cell phones at various locations. Detectives later found the matches and two of the three phones. Buchanan was booked into the Marion County jail and faces charges of murder and arson resulting in serious bodily injury. He appeared in court for an initial hearing on Tuesday; a jury trial was tentatively set for April 20. Help is available for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. Below is a list of suggested resources, both national and local: National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 National Domestic Violence Hotline en español: 800-799-7233 o texto “START” al 88788 Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 24-hour hotline available at 800-332-7385 Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking National Center for Missing Exploited Children La Plaza Indy The Julian Center Indiana Child Abuse Hotline: 800-800-5556 National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673 Crime Resources Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana: 317-262-8477 P3tips app | Apple devices | Google Play ...read more read less