COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three men will be in court today, accused of killing a man and setting his Northeast Side home on fire to cover up the crime.
Columbus police say firefighters found the body of Rick Rundblad, 56, inside a house on Hempwood Drive after they received a report of a fire at the property early Monday morning.
Police records show a preliminary investigation indicated that Rundblad had been shot to death.
Investigators say John Brewster, 21; Jamell Preston, 19, and Marsean Sowards, 18, gunned down Rundblad during an apparent robbery before torching the house.
Detectives are speculating the men were trying “to rob (Rundblad) for the marijuana,” police Sgt. Steven Little said, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Little reportedly said several marijuana plants were confiscated from the burned house.