‘Burglary gone horribly wrong’: Affidavit reveals details in suspected arson-murder
CANON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) -- More than two years have passed since firefighters discovered the body of 76-year old Kenneth Orchard in the charred interior of his own home. The investigation was declared a fatal arson and a homicide.
On Thursday, investigators filed charges in connection to the death.
Matthew Rodgers, 46, was dealt a slew of charges including first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, and murder in the first degree.
Court documents obtained by KRDO News Channel 13 paint a clearer picture as to what happened to Orchard the morning of May 22nd, 2018, and how the investigation led law enforcement in Fremont County to Rodgers.
According to the Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper, this was a burglary gone horribly wrong.
Court documents say that Rodgers intended to burglarize the home of Kenneth Orchard on the 1800 block of Pinion Avenue, according to investigators.
Investigators believe Orchard was returning to his home in the middle of the burglary, and Rodgers attacked. According to an autopsy, Orchard's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force injuries.
Two fires were then set inside the house: one in the master bedroom on the second floor, and another right in front of the front door of the residence.
A fire was reported to Canon City Fire at the home on the 1800 block of Pinion Avenue around 9:22 a.m. on May 22, 2018.
That's when firefighters discovered Orchard at the bottom of a stairwell near the front door.
Many witnesses came forward and told investigators they saw an unidentified male walking away from the Orchard residence on the morning of the fire. One witness told investigators she saw a male walking across Spring Creek Park around 200 yards from the fire. She told investigators he was 'in such a hurry' and got into a white pick up truck and drove off.
It was soon discovered the white pick up truck was owned by Fremont Paving and Redi-Mix, Rodgers' employer in 2018.
“Early in the investigation (Rodgers) was a person of interest but he wasn't the only person of interest," said Sheriff Allen Cooper. " Since DNA evidence was recovered, [that process] doesn't take as long as it does on television to get those results back from the state lab.”
According to court documents, Rodgers' DNA was found on an empty gas can on the house’s front porch.
Investigators also found items believed to be stolen from the Orchard home at the Rodgers' parents home, as well as burnt items of clothing.
Rodgers is currently being held at the Fremont County detention center without bond. Investigators didn’t have to look far in order to make an arrest. Rodgers was already being held at the detention center for separate unrelated domestic violence charges.
