FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A man has been arrested on a first-degree murder charge, eight months after a 93-year-old man was found dead inside of his Fort Lauderdale condominium after a fire erupted inside.
Police confirmed that Keith Rush, 56, was taken into custody on Thursday.
The fire was reported around 1 a.m. Dec. 3, 2021, at the Ocean Summit condominium building located at 4010 Galt Ocean Drive.
Fort Lauderdale police identified the victim as Howard Perkins, the roommate of Rush.
Fire investigators said the flames appeared to have started in the living room of an apartment on the ninth floor, where Perkins lived and was found unresponsive.
At the time, it was said his partner- believed to be Rush, was able to make it out of the unit and was taken to a nearby hospital.
Court documents obtained by Local 10 News show that during two different searches, the fire was being investigated as a possible murder and that detectives removed several items from the two-story apartment. Some items included butane fuel, a smoke alarm, an “unknown liquid,” a side table and a knife with a clear handle.
Exactly how Perkins died still has not been revealed.
After speaking with Rush’s nephew, he said he was “pleased to hear of the arrest” and that he long suspected something wasn’t right with him because the story he told them about what happened never made sense.