Xerxes Wilson

The News Journal

A New Castle County grand jury has indicted Beatriz Fana-Ruiz, the 27-year-old woman accused of setting a fire that led to the deaths of three Wilmington firefighters in the Canby Park neighborhood last September.

In the 19-count indictment, Fana-Ruiz is charged with first-degree arson as well as six counts of murder. She is charged with two, separate murder charges for each of the three deaths. One set of charges pertains to her commission of the arson and the others are tied to the firefighters dying in the line of service, said Department of Justice Spokesman Carl Kanefsky.

STORY: Firefighters died in blaze

VIDEO: Replay of firefighter funeral

STORY: Woman arrested in fire that killed firefighters

Previously, she was only charged with murder tied to the deaths of firefighters Lt. Christopher Leach and Senior Firefighter Jerry Fickes, who died shortly after the fire. Additional murder charges stem from the death of Ardythe Hope, who died in December.

In addition, Fana-Ruiz was also indicted on first-degree assault charges for injuries to firefighter Brad Speakman, nine counts of first-degree reckless endangering as well as two counts of third-degree arson for damage to neighboring homes.

A Wilmington police detective in court in October described the Fana-Ruiz as a drunk, unstable person upset with her stepmother and her own transient living situation.

Fana-Ruiz initially told investigators she didn’t know how the fire started, but on Sept. 28, she admitted to investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that in a fit of anger she had set the fire, which began at about 3 a.m., according to the account. She threw a bottle of what she described as body wash onto the ground, grabbed a piece of paper, lit it with a lighter and the fire started, the detective said.

RELATED: How firefighters send fallen first responders 'home'

RELATED: Chief recounts moments before firefighters' deaths

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.