There’s a ‘person of interest’ in Warner Robins house fire that killed woman
Warner Robins police on Monday continued their investigation of a suspicious and fatal house fire early Sunday in a neighborhood near Shirley Hills Elementary School.
Lisa Rebecca Brooks, 57, died in the 1 a.m. blaze at her home at 343 Clairmont Drive, police said in a statement sent to news outlets at midday Monday, a statement which also announced the arrest of her son in connection with the blaze.
Spencer Bentley Brooks, 28, who also lived at the house, was arrested on a first-degree arson charge, cops said.
Police in an earlier statement on Sunday said “a preliminary investigation suggests the blaze is an arson,” but did not describe Spencer Brooks’ alleged role in the fire.
“Mr. Brooks, after being evaluated, is being held at the Houston County Detention Center. An autopsy on the victim is forthcoming,” the Monday statement said.
According to Georgia prison records, Spencer Brooks was recently paroled.
He was released from Screven County Correctional Institution on Dec. 7 after serving a portion of a 15-year sentence for aggravated-battery and shoplifting convictions in Houston County, crimes that happened in fall 2017, records show. He appears to also have been serving a concurrent sentence for convictions in Wilcox County for June 2018 crimes that include gun-possession, burglary and theft.
The house where the fire happened, a 1,700-square-foot brick home, was built in 1962. It last changed hands in 2008, according to tax records.
The house lies about half a mile north of Russell Parkway, east of Corder Road.
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 12:37 PM.