Washington Wildfire Arson Suspect Faced Murder Charge

The suspect accused of igniting the largest wildfire tearing through eastern Washington — a blaze that has leveled hundreds of structures and driven tens of thousands of residents from their homes — has a prior violent felony case in his past, court documents indicate. Records show he was once charged with first-degree murder before later admitting guilt to a lesser manslaughter count.

Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was taken into custody Monday on suspicion of first-degree arson tied to the Old Trails Fire, the biggest of three major fires burning in and around Spokane, Washington’s second-largest city.

Together, the eastern Washington wildfires have destroyed at least 700 buildings and prompted evacuation orders affecting roughly 67,000 people. Officials have not accused Farinacci of having any role in the other two fires, both of which are still being investigated.

His arrest was announced just hours after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, linked the region’s fast-moving and destructive fire conditions to the growing impacts of climate change.

“Climate change isn’t some existential global thing,” Inslee said Monday. “It’s our neighbors. It’s our friends.”

Court records reviewed by News Outlet show Farinacci was originally charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in connection with a 2010 killing in Arizona. In 2012, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault.

According to The Associated Press, Farinacci was 21 when he fatally shot his father during a dispute over washing dishes in Mesa, Arizona, in 2010. He also shot himself during the incident but survived.

A Maricopa County judge sentenced Farinacci to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault. Arizona Department of Corrections records show he was released on Dec. 23, 2020.

Less than six years after his release from prison, Farinacci again found himself accused of a major crime.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said Major Crimes detectives and Washington State Department of Natural Resources fire investigators identified Farinacci as the suspect after developing probable cause during the investigation.

Detectives obtained arrest and search warrants before taking Farinacci into custody without incident at his Spokane residence, where he was booked into the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of first-degree arson.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said witnesses reported seeing a man – later identified as Farinacci – acting suspiciously near where the fire started. After returning home and noticing smoke rising from the same area, they flagged down an Airway Heights police officer and provided investigators with a physical description of the man and the clothing he was wearing.

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Deputies initially detained and questioned Farinacci before releasing him as first responders focused on evacuating residents threatened by the rapidly growing fire, Nowels said.

As detectives reviewed witness statements, body camera footage and evidence gathered with fire investigators, they developed probable cause to arrest Farinacci.

When deputies first contacted Farinacci, he was carrying waterproof matches and a butane lighter, investigators said. Fire investigators later determined the blaze was consistent with dry grass being ignited by a match or lighter.

Nowels said the first-degree arson charge reflected the evidence investigators currently have but cautioned that additional charges could be considered as the investigation continues and authorities assess the full scope of the fire’s destruction.

The sheriff credited observant residents with helping investigators quickly identify the suspect.

“As it happens in so many critical cases, it was citizens who were paying attention to their surroundings, being aware and willing to step up and say something that led to the relatively quick apprehension of Mr. Farinacci,” Nowels said.