Lasaro Herrera-Alvarez Obituary, Death – Authorities have confirmed the identity of the second individual who perished in an arson incident at a business in the Phoenix area several months prior. On Thursday, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced that the second victim was 52-year-old Lasaro Herrera-Alvarez.
The fire ignited shortly before 10 p.m. on April 27 at J&J Sofa Manufacturing, situated on 59th Avenue just south of Buckeye Road. Initially, emergency crews were responding to a minor debris fire, which subsequently spread to the establishment before firefighters could arrive. The flames intensified, resulting in the building being declared a total loss.
According to court documents, surveillance footage captured an unidentified man and 44-year-old Katisha Susan Smith arriving at the business and hurling a lit object before fleeing the scene.
The following morning, deputies discovered the bodies of Herrera-Alvarez and 42-year-old Catherine Eversole. Court records indicate that both victims were alive when the fire erupted, and their deaths have been classified as homicides.
Smith was apprehended later and alleged that she was “forced to participate” in the crime. The identity of the man accompanying Smith remains unknown.
Arizona’s Family previously interviewed Eversole’s mother, who stated that Eversole was in the process of turning her life around and had recently graduated with a degree in April.
Smith has been charged and booked into the Maricopa County jail on two counts of first-degree murder, arson of an occupied structure, and drug-related offenses.