3 men arrested in deaths of victims who were restrained in burning home

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016 | 9:10 p.m.

Three men are in custody in connection with a deadly arson case in which a family was tied up inside their east valley house that was then set on fire, according to jail and court records.

Malik Niem Watson, 27, was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Clark County Detention Center, jail logs show.

Darrin Rafael Wilder and Hakim Rydell Blanche-Jones, the two others linked through court records to the Nov. 16 incident, are in federal custody.

It wasn't immediately clear when they were arrested. Court records show the case was filed in March.

Metro Police were dispatched to 52 Sherrill Circle, near Charleston and Lamb boulevards, shortly before 12:30 p.m.

According to Metro Police and fire officials:

Responding firefighters found a man who was stabbed, but able to escape the flames, walking down the street near the house.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were inside the home, but officers found at least two family members tied up. Mario Jimenez, 45, died the day of the fire and Angelica Jimenez, 27, who had been critically burned along with another person, died from her injuries on Feb. 17, according to the Clark County Coroner's office.

The house caught fire a second time in a February incident, minutes after Angelica Jimenez died.

Details on Watson's arrest or how he is connected to the November crime were not immediately clear Wednesday evening. He was arrested on 13 counts, which include multiple counts of murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and conspiracy to murder, jail logs show. Blanche-Jones and Wilder are facing the same charges.