Laquita Spears faces arson charges after setting Milwaukee senior housing complex on fire after her father evicted her following erratic behavior. Not the first time she has been charged with arson.
A 48-year-old woman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with prior arson convictions is accused of setting her father’s apartment on fire, only for the blaze to spread to other apartments in the building, after the parent telling her she could no longer live at the address.
Laquita Spears had been staying at her father’s apartment for several weeks after being removed from a local shelter. Her father told investigators that over the past two weeks, Spears had been talking to herself constantly and acting erratically.
On January 13, 2026, around 1:00 p.m., an argument broke out inside the apartment.
Family argument escalates leading to daughter seeking revenge
Spears began yelling and cursing while arguing about $5 she believed a family member owed her according to a criminal complaint.
Her father told police he then informed Spears that she could no longer stay in his apartment. The argument continued, with Spears screaming and using profane language.
As the dispute unfolded, Spears’ dad told police he saw Spears walking toward the front door to leave while clutching a red Bic lighter. As she left, the father alleges hearing the daughter saying, ‘Burn motherf**ker burn!’
Moments later, her father noticed that his coat on top of the couch was on fire. He tried to put out the flames but was unsuccessful, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Daughter admits pouring charcoal lighter fluid inside residence before setting it alight
According to police interviews and Spears’ own admission, she poured charcoal lighter fluid on the coat, the couch, and a laundry basket filled with clothes that she had placed on a table. She then used the Bic lighter to ignite the coat, the couch, and the clothing. After starting the fire in multiple locations, Spears walked out of the apartment and fled. She later told police she did not intend to hurt anyone and did not expect the fire to spread the way it did, Law and Crime reported.
The father managed to escape the apartment as the fire spread, but officers say the flames quickly extended to other units within the building.
The apartment building, which houses mostly elderly and disabled residents left inhabitants in harm’s way. The building not equipped with a sprinkler system, forced residents to evacuate on their own. Some residents were seen hanging out of windows, and several suffered from smoke inhalation. One elderly man was found unresponsive and not breathing and was taken to the hospital with chest pain.
Spears, who has two prior arson convictions (involving other family members), was arrested and charged with arson and reckless endangerment, and her court date is February 26. She is being held on a $50,000 bond and has been ordered to stay away from her father, if released.
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