SANTA MONICA—A suspect was convicted on Monday, September 18 for starting a large, fire at a Santa Monica car dealership in 2014. Tyrone Murphy, 61, was convicted of felony arson this week for drenching five cars with gasoline and lighting them on fire.
NBC Los Angeles reported that the incident transpired at a local Santa Monica BMW dealership on September 10, 2014. The fire destroyed four vehicles and left a fifth severely damaged. The total property damage was estimated at around $250,000.
Murphy was caught on camera minutes before the event in a nearby gas station. He purchased $4 worth of gasoline in a large red can. He was seen wearing a gray hoodie at the time.
Blurry videos from the dealership cameras captured the same red can used to drench all the vehicles. Multiple small fires were reported nearby the same night, but authorities did not suspect those fires to be connected. Murphy was convicted of felony arson in 1991. He is expected to return to court on Wednesday, October 11 to be sentenced.
