Hollywood Arson Suspect Charged With Murder of Two Sisters
Jovan Lamar Duverne faces murder and arson charges after two elderly sisters died when their Hollywood home was set ablaze on February 4.
A 39-year-old man accused of setting a series of fires across Hollywood faces murder charges in the deaths of two elderly sisters killed when their home burned in the early morning hours of February 4.
Jovan Lamar Duverne has been charged with two counts of murder and 11 counts of felony arson. Prosecutors also filed a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and sentence enhancements tied to a prior arson conviction, including a second-strike allegation. He is being held without bond, with arraignment scheduled in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.
Maria Del Consuelo Alarcon-Valdez, 76, and Yolanda Honda, 82, died in the fire at their shared home. The blaze was reported around 2 a.m. Duverne was arrested later that day near Hollywood Boulevard and Wilton Place.
According to prosecutors, Duverne set fires at 10 locations between January 26 and February 4, using a handheld torch-style lighter to ignite rubbish. The arson spree stretched across residential Hollywood, and authorities say the fire that killed the sisters was among the last incidents in that stretch.
If convicted on all counts, Duverne could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors said the decision on whether to seek the death penalty will come at a later stage.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman addressed the case directly. “Setting fires anywhere is reckless and extraordinarily dangerous, but deliberately igniting multiple fires in a residential community shows a shocking disregard for human life,” Hochman said. “We allege this defendant went on a dangerous arson spree across Hollywood that ultimately claimed the lives of two elderly sisters inside their home. Our hearts are with their loved ones as they mourn this devastating loss. When someone sets fires that endanger lives and destroy a community’s sense of safety, my office will pursue the most serious charges available and seek justice for the victims.”
It was not immediately clear whether Duverne has retained an attorney.
The case carries weight beyond the criminal proceedings themselves. The sisters died in their home in the middle of the night, killed not by accident but, according to prosecutors, by someone who spent more than a week deliberately setting fires through a residential neighborhood. Alarcon-Valdez and Honda were among the most vulnerable targets imaginable. The fires that preceded theirs hit rubbish and structures across 10 separate locations, a pattern that authorities say points to intentional, sustained conduct.
Sentence enhancements, for readers unfamiliar with how California criminal law works, allow prosecutors to stack additional penalties on top of base charges when aggravating factors are present. Here, the prior arson conviction and the multiple-murder allegation both function as enhancements that could push a potential sentence to its maximum.
Burbank sits just north of Hollywood, and the communities share geography, commutes, and in many cases, families. Fires set along residential corridors carry a threat that does not stop at city lines, especially during dry stretches when embers travel. The Hollywood arson series drew significant alarm from residents across the region for exactly that reason.
The arraignment date will mark the first formal court appearance where Duverne will be asked to enter a plea. Prosecutors have laid out a serious charging document. The question of legal representation will need to be resolved quickly.
Alarcon-Valdez and Honda lost their lives in a fire reported before sunrise on a Tuesday morning in early February. Prosecutors say they were killed because a man with a torch lighter chose to walk through their neighborhood and set things on fire. The case now moves into the courts, where the full weight of the charges will be tested.
