Suspect taken into custody several months after roommate discovered dead in burning Fort Lauderdale apartment
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Eight months after a 93-year-old man was discovered dead inside of his Fort Lauderdale condominium after a fire that broke out inside, a man has been arrested on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the case.
On Thursday, the police were able to confirm that Keith Rush, 56 years old, was taken into custody.
At around one in the morning on December 3, 2021, a fire was reported at the condominium complex known as Ocean Summit, which is located at 4010 Galt Ocean Drive.
The apartment on the ninth floor, where Perkins resided and was discovered unconscious, was where the fire seemed to have originated, according to the investigators who looked into the incident.
It was stated at the time that his partner, who was thought to be Rush, was able to make it out of the unit and was transported to a hospital in the area.
According to court records, the fire was being investigated as a potential murder during two separate searches, and investigators took many items from the two-story apartment during those searches. Butane gasoline, a smoke alarm, an “unknown liquid,” a side table, and a knife with a clear handle were some of the items that were discovered.
It is still unknown how exactly Perkins died at this time.
After speaking with Rush’s nephew, the man said that he was “pleased to hear of the arrest” and that he had long suspected that something wasn’t right with him because the story he told them about what happened never made sense.
