By Ivan Pereira
The Springfield Gardens fire that killed a mother who was seven months pregnant and her toddler son last week was allegedly caused by the father of the unborn child who left the 25-year-old woman to burn to death, the Queens district attorney said.
Jimmy Humphrey, 23, of Selover Road in Springfield Gardens, was arraigned Friday morning on arson and assault charges in the July 13 blaze that killed his girlfriend, Linda Anderson, 25, and her 2-year-old son, Ayden Hayes, DA Richard Brown said.
Anderson was burned to death after allegedly fighting with Humphrey early that morning in a confrontation that led to the small fire, according to Brown He ran away from the Anderson Road residence while the woman was on fire, the DA said.
“The senseless death of this young woman and her infant child cries out for justice,” he said in a statement.
Humphrey, who is awaiting additional charges following a full autopsy report, was arguing with Anderson, who was the mother of his unborn son, around 4:30 a.m. at her home and it eventually got physical, Brown said. He allegedly grabbed her by the throat and shoved her, causing her to fall and knock down a bottle of nail polish and a candle, according to the DA.
Anderson caught on fire and eventually burned to death, but Humphrey fled the two-story home, Brown said. After arriving at his own residence and lying down for a few minutes, he made an anonymous 911 call to report the fire, according to Brown.
Despite receiving no address for the fire from Humphrey, firefighters were able to respond to the house and put out the fire within an hour. Ayden was found unconscious at the scene and taken to Queens Hospital Center, where he died shortly after arriving there.
No other serious injuries or deaths were reported in the fire that only affected the second floor where Anderson lived. If convicted of the current charges, Humphrey faces up to 25 years to life in prison, Brown said.
The boy’s father, Rondel Hayes, was present at the arraignment and said the police had Humphrey in custody soon after the fire broke out. A funeral service for the mother and son was held in Suffolk County, where Anderson had lived before moving to Queens a year ago, according to Hayes.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
