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Woman's House Burns, She Says Arson is Retaliation For Murder
posted (March 5, 2013)
Last night we told you about the shooting in Hattieville that left one man dead and another injured. 23 year old Abel Arana was shot and killed inside the yard of Ralph Sherlock Mini-Man Martinez who was also shot.

According to police, Arana and Martinez were socializing at the residence when they started to argue and shot each other. But the details of that story remain sketchy since police have not yet recovered any weapons from the scene.

Martinez's girlfriend and brother-in-law are detained by police.

But only 24 hours after we reported this story, there is another possibly related incident to report on tonight. Mini-man's sister-in-law is claiming someone burned her hosue down in an act of retaliation.

Tiffarah Usher was not at home at 4:00 this morning when her house burned but she told us she was receiving threat messages from unknown persons in regards to the death of Abel Arana. This mother of two who lost everything told us she is the victim of guilt by association:

Tiffarah Usher - Fire Victim
"I wasn't here, and they called me at about 4 o'clock - little bit after 4 - and told me my house is on fire. They told me that they burnt down my house because they came to kill me. When the guy got shot in the yard, they said that I kicked him. I didn't kick anybody. I didn't kick anybody who got shot, and was on the ground. When we heard the shots, we ran from over there. And when we ran over, we saw a boy on the ground, but we didn't know who it was. We ran back, and we were shouting out. We called police, and when they came, we didn't even know that the next one, Sherlock - we didn't know that he got shot too. We only saw one boy; we didn't even go into the yard. We ran back, and I shouted for my sister and told her that a boy was on the ground in the yard over there. When we left, we heard my sister shout out too. We asked her what happened, and she was screaming that they shot him. I asked her who it was, and that's when I saw that Sherlock got shot, and the next boy, Abel was on the ground. I talk to Abel; I know him. Why will I kick him? They are trying to say that they burnt down my house because I kicked Abel when he was on the ground. Why will I kick him, and he already got shot? It was me who called the police to have them come and pick him up. I didn't kick anybody."

Monica Bodden
"At the time when the incident happened, you weren't even here, right?"

Tiffarah Usher
"No, we heard the shots, and we ran from far across there, to over here, because when I heard it, I spun around. I saw someone on the ground in a white shirt. I saw like he was rolling around, and I told my brother, that he was on the ground. And we ran; I told him to leave with me because it looked like somebody on the ground. We saw him on the ground, and we didn't know who told the police to pick him up. Why will I run there and kick a man who is already dying, especially because I don't have anything with anybody? So, I believe that this is the reason why somebody came and burnt my house down. It's because they got false information. I don't have any quarrels with anybody. People can tell you around here that I stay in this house, and I sleep all day. My house is locked up the entire time, and they don't even know if I am in there or not. I don't have anything with anybody."

Monica Bodden
"Are you afraid for your life, and the lives of your children?"

Tiffarah Usher
"Yes, I am afraid because those things are serious things."

Monica Bodden
"You lost everything?"

Tiffarah Usher
"Yes, ma'am. I lost all my children's items, all of my baby's school things. I can't even send them to school because they don't even have a pair of slippers on their feet, nothing right now."

Tiffarah Usher had lived there with her 2 children for the past 2 years. Her house was located one street behind the home where Ralph Sherlock Martinez lived and it was not insured.

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