UNION CITY, Calif. (TCN) — Police recently arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of setting a fatal fire that killed a man several years after he allegedly stabbed his father.
In the early hours of Sept. 23, Union City Police responded to multiple reports of a house fully engulfed in flames on 14th Street. Upon their arrival, officers observed a “significant fire.” All the occupants of the residence made it out except for a 66-year-old male victim, who was transported to a local hospital and died from his injuries.
Police said they initially arrested a 57-year-old woman in connection with the case, but she was later released. Investigators identified Christopher Schwenk as the primary suspect and took him into custody. According to records reviewed by KTVU-TV, Schwenk was arrested on charges of murder and arson, with bail set at $250,000.
In a news release from 2019, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said Schwenk was arrested and charged on suspicion of killing his 55-year-old father, Troy Schwenk. Per deputies, on Nov. 11, 2019, authorities performed a welfare check at a home on San Miguel Avenue, where they found the victim deceased on the floor. Although the sheriff’s office did not specify the injuries, KTVU reports he was stabbed to death. Christopher Schwenk was charged with murder and an enhancement for using a knife, but the case was dismissed because there wasn’t sufficient evidence.