WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Man charged after body found in Greenbrier house fire

Man charged after body found in Greenbrier house fire

GREENBRIER, Tenn. – Robertson County authorities have arrested a man after a woman’s body was discovered in the charred remains of a home in Greenbrier Monday morning.

Jackie Darrell Dillon, 43, of Cotton Town, is charged with criminal homicide for the murder of Marla J. Abel.

Fire officials were called to the home on Possum Trot Road off Highway 76 in Greenbrier shortly after 10 a.m. Monday.

Neighbor Todd Bridges couldn’t believe his eyes when the house he had lived in for 10 years erupted in flames.

Bridges said, “That’s kinda shocking [because] like I said, it’s Possum Trot.  It’s not out in the middle of nowhere so, it’s kind of unusual.”

He was in his new home, down the street, when he saw the fire from his window.

Bridges said, “I just happened to hear the police cars go by, and was like, ‘That’s kinda unusual,’ and we peeped out the window,  and I was like, ‘The house is on fire.’”

Firefighters found the body after extinguishing the flames.

Authorities believed the fire was intentionally set after a witness told police a vehicle was spotted leaving the scene just prior to the fire.

That car later stopped at a car wash in White House.

“That vehicle has been stopped,” Lt. Donald Bennett with the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office told News 2.  “We do have that vehicle in custody.”

Authorities took Dillon, the driver, into custody for questioning.

Police now believe he set fire to Abel’s house to cover up the crime of murder.

It is not clear how the woman died.

Her body was sent to the Metro medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

Dillon, a registered sex offender in Tennessee, is being held without bond in the Robertson County jail.

Bomb and arson investigators remained on the scene into the night Monday gathering evidence.