Man held without bail in fatal fire

Suspect allegedly poured vodka on campfire, walked away from burning victim

A 42-year-old man was ordered held without bail Friday as he was arraigned on charges he poured vodka on a campfire off Pevey Street in Lowell on Thursday afternoon and then walked away without calling for help as another homeless man near the blaze was engulfed in flames and fatally burned.

Eugene Newton, who was found walking nearby shortly after the incident, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury after emergency crews responded to the area of 85 Pevey St., about 3:18 p.m., and found a man suffering from life-threatening burns, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

A police report filed in Lowell District Court says first responders found a 42-year-old homeless Asian man whose “body was severely burned and his clothing had burned off.” First responders requested a MedFlight helicopter in an effort to get him to a trauma center, but the man died at Lowell General Hospital.

At the scene, police found two witnesses who tried using bolt cutters to get through a fence when they saw the victim on the ground near a growing fire on the other side of the fence. But both of those men told police the man, who was mumbling and appeared too drunk to easily stand, was engulfed in flames before they could cut through the fence.

A 52-year-old Lowell woman who was at the scene initially told police she didn’t know what happened because she had gone to a store for more liquor, but later admitted Newton — her boyfriend — had started a fire, according to a police report.

Lowell and State Police, with the Lowell Fire Investigation Unit and the State Fire Marshal’s Office, began to process the fire scene, with Lowell Detective Tracy Kelly saying in a police report that “it was apparent that individuals were living there, as there was clothing and other items. The area that had obtained the bulk of the fire damage contained large plastic barrels, wooden construction materials, large metal beams and a small portable hibachi style grill.”

At the same time, police began searching for Newton, who was found walking near a railroad bridge farther up the Pawtucket Canal. Newton was taken to the police station. Kelly’s report says Newton initially denied being aware of any fires, but after being confronted about smelling like a fire, eventually admitted he was present.

“He was asked if he had drank today and he replied that he drinks everyday,” Kelly wrote in a police report.