An arrest has been made in connection with a fire at a church in Athens, Tennessee, and police say they believe the suspect killed a woman inside the church before setting it on fire.
Police report Obtained by WZTV They report that Kyle Jay Hickox was recorded on security camera footage being in the area several times before and after the historic church burned down earlier this month.
According to reports, the victim, Linda Buchanan, whose body was found in the church, did not die in the fire, but was murdered by someone else before the fire started.
Hickox was taken into custody Friday and charged with second-degree murder. Additional charges are pending.
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Kyle Jay Hickox has been charged with second-degree murder. (McMinn County Sheriff's Office)
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Hickox walking across the grounds of the nearby Athens YMCA and onto the campus of Tennessee Wesleyan University on Aug. 15.
Hickox entered a campus maintenance building but was ordered to leave by staff inside, to which he responded, “I'm going to get some God water,” before leaving the building, according to the report.
A maintenance worker told investigators he saw Hickox running toward St. Mark AME Zion Church and entering through the back door.
Police said the victim, Linda Buchanan, whose body was found in the church, did not die in the fire, but was murdered by someone else before the blaze started. (Getty Images)
About 10 minutes later, Hickox was allegedly seen on video running across the YMCA campus toward the university's football field.
The suspect then removed his shirt and wrapped it around one of his hands before spraying his body with water from a hose, security camera footage showed.
Police executed a search warrant at Hickox's Athens home two days later and found clothing believed to have been worn when the church was burned.
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“We're going to get God's water,” Hickox told the maintenance workers. (iStock)
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab revealed that bloodstains found on Hickox's left shoe matched Buchanan's bloodstains.
Hickox was booked into the McMinn County Jail but has since been released.
