Woman charged with murder, arson after fatal camper fire near Cass Lake
A Minneapolis woman is facing charges of murder and arson for allegedly lighting a camper on fire near Cass Lake on Tuesday, killing someone who became trapped in the blaze.
Prosecutors in Beltrami County on Friday charged Cora L. Quaderer, 34, with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson.
According to the criminal complaint, witnesses said they saw Quaderer standing outside the camper, arguing with a person inside.
A witness told investigators they could hear Quaderer ordering the man to let her into the camper "or she would destroy parts or all of the structure," charges state.
Witnesses then saw Quaderer light a piece of cloth and toss the burning item towards the front door. Quaderer allegedly ran from the scene as the camper quickly started to burn out of control.
The victim, whom charging documents identify as Roy Lovelace, could be heard screaming that he could not get out of the camper.
Witnesses tried to remove an air conditioning unit from the window to free Lovelace, but they were forced to retreat as the flames grew stronger.
Investigators later found remains, presumably Roy Lovelace, inside the burned camper. An autopsy is pending from the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office.
On Wednesday, authorities arrested Quaderer in Brooklyn Center.
Quaderer has multiple prior convictions for drug possession, theft and providing false information to police.
