Just after 1 a.m. this past Saturday morning Merredythe Eiland of Louisville, lost her life in a fire that was deliberately set by her husband, 49 year old Fred Eiland.
The incident took place at a storage building which had been converted into an apartment at 101 Gage Street in Louisville. Their 17-year-old son, Lilsreddius Eiland, was badly burned over a large portion of his body and later died at the hospital from his injuires; two other occupants of the building escaped unharmed.
Eiland, who believed his wife was having an affair with another man, admitted to purchasing gasoline at a local convenience store the morning before the incident. He pushed a window air conditioner into the room where his wife was sleeping, threw in a container of gasoline, followed by some type of ignition source.
Louisville Fire Department Deputy Chief, Robert Hutto, stated that his department received the call at 1:06 a.m. and the building was fully involved when their first unit arrived on scene four minutes later. Witnesses at the scene recognized Eiland.
An autopsy of Mrs. Eiland had not been performed at the time of this writing, but it is believed that she died from a combination of smoke inhalation and burns.
According to Sheriff Jason Pugh, Eiland and his wife had been living on Metts Street. A few weeks ago, believing that she was involved with another man, Eiland beat her and she moved out of the Metts Street residence.
Fred Eiland attempted suicide and was sent to Baptist Behavioral Health in Columbus; upon his release he was involved in an altercation in which he stabbed another individual with a screwdriver. He was taken into custody by Louisville Police Department, but was released on bond on the Tuesday before the Saturday arson.
At around 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon, a call came in from Eiland’s sister in the Mt. Olive community reporting that he had been to her house. Deputy Leon Glenn and Constable Ed Hunt were in the vicinity searching for Eiland; a chase ensued when they observed Eiland’s car on Mt. Olive Rd. He pulled into a church parking lot, and as the officers approached he intentionally set his car on fire, and led them on another short high-speed chase. Eiland hit a tree and was taken into custody at that location.
An arraignment was held Monday, July 16; he was charged with arson, Capital Murder and 3 counts of aggravated assault. Pugh stated that he hoped Eiland would be held without bond as he is a danger to himself and to the community. Bond was denied during the bond hearing on Monday. With the death of his son on Tuesday, July 17 the charges maybe upgraded. The preliminary hearing is set for August 22.
