Triple Murder Suspect Tried to Cover Murders By Torching Apartment

Birmingham Police now have an 18 year-old suspect in custody for Friday morning's triple homicide. It's a crime they say the suspect tried to cover up by torching the place.

It happened around 4a.m. at an apartment complex on 44th Street North. The victims are 12 year-old Aliya Budgess, her uncle 34 year-old Quortes Kelley and the girl's grandmother, 59 year-old Bernice Kelley. The girl and her uncle died at the scene. The grandmother died while being transported to UAB. While many details are unknown, we do know all three were attacked before the blaze.

"They went back in and they got the second body and we seen a lot of blood. Then they went and got the third body. It seemed like she was just trying to help, the little girl she was trying to fight for her life," says Jerrell Williams, called 911.

"Her (grandmother's) face was just on fire. I'm talking about on fire. You can see burning," says Malcolm Russell, neighbor.

Jerrell Williams lives above the victims. He says around 3:30a.m. He heard, "thump. A thumping noise. A lot of rumbling going on downstairs,"

Williams then smelled smoke. So he ran downstairs to help.

"Standing there trying to pry the door open. I couldn't get the door open," says Williams.

Williams called 911. Firefighters responded. But neighbor, Malcolm Williams, says he wasn't surprised when Homicide investigators showed up.

"I thought it was a murder because when they pulled out the other two, he (Quortes) was bloody," says Russell.

Russell and Williams say they had no idea of the tragic violence that was unfolding one apartment away.

"I was just a little too late. I tried to get there but I was too late," says Williams.

The suspect in custody is the victim's relative. He has not formally been charged.