HOUSTON—A jealous husband is accused of setting his own house on fire because he was angry that his wife went out to dinner with another man, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Jason Deshon Simmons lived in the home with his wife and four children, but the couple was apparently having marital problems.
Investigators said Simmons’ wife went on a dinner date with her male friend on January 9. While out, she received a text message from her oldest daughter’s cell phone around 12:30 a.m. asking where she was. The wife replied and immediately began receiving threatening texts and phone calls.
According to investigators, Simmons was using the daughter's cell phone to find out his wife's whereabouts and then threaten her.
Simmons’ wife said when she arrived home around 2:30 a.m., he was standing in the front yard. The two argued outside for a short period, then went inside. The wife noticed the house smelled like gas and asked Simmons about it. According to court documents, Simmons began flicking a lighter in his hand and said he was going to burn the house down.
The couple's children were sleeping upstairs.
The woman went into the kitchen and noticed all the burners on the stove were on so she turned them off and opened the windows.
Simmons left after an argument but returned, cut his wrist and began to flick blood on his wife’s shirt, according to court documents. He left the house again after that.
Simmons’ wife went to sleep and woke up around 6 a.m. She got ready for work and got her children ready for school. As the family left, the wife noticed Simmons’ vehicle parked in a field behind the home, but she continued on to work and school as planned.
The couple's landlord was checking his properties around 10:25 a.m. and said he noticed Simmons’ vehicle in the driveway as he was passing by the house.
About 15 minutes later, the landlord saw fire trucks enter the neighborhood and followed them. The fire trucks stopped at Simmons' residence and heavy fire was shooting from the home.
The fire marshal said the front door of the home was opened, so firefighters did not have to force entry. An investigation led them to determine the fire had been intentionally set.
Investigators said the words “I’m still pretty” were carved in the wall of the master bedroom and another phrase referring to the wife and her dinner companion was written in marker on the bathroom mirror.
Investigators said Simmons confessed to writing on the wall and mirror, but would not admit to starting the fire because he did not want to go back to prison.
Investigators determined he was responsible for all of it and charged him with felony arson. His bond was set at $30,000.
