Suspect in Nun’s Death Sets Fire

A 21-year-old man accused of killing a nun on the Navajo Indian reservation in 2009 attempted to set the bedsheets in his cell on fire in the Santa Fe County jail Tuesday, according to Santa Fe Sheriff’s Lt. William Pacheco.

Reehahlio Carroll will now face a petty misdemeanor arson charge for the damages to his cell and bed, which total about $100. Pacheco was not sure how Carroll was able to ignite the bedding. The lieutenant said the fire was quickly extinguished by jail guards, who took Carroll to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Prosecutors allege Carroll broke into the trailer home of 64-year-old Sister Marguerite Bartz on the Navajo Indian reservation in 2009 and attacked her when she confronted him. If convicted of the killing in federal court, he faces life in prison without parole.