A woman has been charged in connection with a fire that killed two people in August.

Deonna Marie Presbury, 35, faces two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of first-degree arson.

As previously reported, 59-year-old Debbie Leshelle Allen of New Richmond, Wisconsin, and 66-year-old Kerry Sims of Minneapolis were killed in the apartment fire.

According to a criminal complaint, several people reported a fire at an apartment building at 1501 11th Avenue South in Minneapolis on Aug. 13. Allen and Sims were later found deceased in the building.

Two other people were seriously injured in the fire and needed to be hospitalized.

Arson investigators found two points of origin for the fire. The first was at the rear stairway of the second floor and the other was in the second-floor hallway, originating from a pair of pink rollerblades.

Court documents state that a witness said Presbury was in the hallway of the building with her daughter and was arguing with him before the fire was set. Presbury had demanded that her belongings be returned. The witness said he gave Presbury her items, which included clothing, a bicycle and pink rollerblades.

Another witness in the apartment told police that she heard Presbury say, “I’m gonna burn this [expletive] down…You got me messed up…I’m gonna kill this [expletive].”

The witness said she smelled smoke coming from the hallway a few minutes after Presbury left with her belongings.

The first witness called Presbury on speakerphone while being interviewed by police. When he told her that the fire had killed two people and suggested she was responsible, Presbury reportedly responded, “Love will [expletive] you up anytime.”

A third witness told police that before the fire, he heard a woman arguing in the hallway and threatening to “burn this place down” if she didn’t get her stuff back.

Court documents state that motion-activated security images showed Presbury leaving the apartment with her daughter. Presbury reportedly left behind the pair of pink rollerblades determined to be the point of origin for the second fire.

Presbury and her daughter were then seen walking toward the location of the first fire’s origin, according to court documents. The two are then seen leaving — Presbury reportedly had a lit cigarette and was wearing a blue rubber glove moments before the fire.

Investigators then learned that Presbury is a person of interest in other intentional fires involving the male witness’ property and is known to carry a torch lighter with her. Arson investigators believe the fires at the apartment building could have been started with a torch lighter.

Presbury was arrested and, in an interview with investigators, denied being at the apartment building that day. Police asked again if she was at the building and she promised she wasn’t.

When shown the photos of her and her daughter getting her belongings from the man’s apartment, Presbury admitted to being at the building. She denied speaking to the man about the fire and said she heard about it from the news.

MINNEAPOLIS — After concerns over crime in the area near the University of Minnesota campus in recent years, new data is showing improvement the last few months.

From the start of the school year through December, data from Minneapolis Police shows a 49 percent decrease in reported crimes in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which includes Dinkytown.

The drop has come in conjunction with the opening of UMN’s off-campus safety center, as well as the colder temperatures of winter.

Feelings of safety in Dinkytown hit a low point last summer when 20 people were arrested for shooting fireworks at cars, bystanders and police.

Now, students and recent alums tell WCCO they’re feeling more comfortable in the area.

“I’m a freshman, so I felt pretty safe honestly,” said Femi Abodunrin. “At the beginning of the year there were definitely a bit more crime alerts but since then, it’s gone down.”

Mathew Krelitz graduated last year.

“I think it probably has gotten safer,” he said. “When I did attend, I did witness some crimes on this block [near campus]. I spend the weekends here and I haven’t noticed that.”

MPD data shows the number of reported crimes in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood was 144 in September, then decreased to 133 in October, 81 in November and 73 in December.

September is when UMN opened its Dinkytown safety center for both police and students.

“This will reduce opportunities for some of the crimes we’ve seen that happen, but it will also give us a foothold in Dinkytown to start building stronger partnerships that we already have,” Nick Juarez with UMN’s Department of Public Safety said in August.

“When it’s later at night there’s definitely a few police cars that I see around, and I think it does make a difference,” Abodunrin said.

She knows it’s still important to be mindful and protect herself.

“If I have something that could be used as a weapon like a water bottle, I make sure I have it handy, or if it’s later at night, I just walk around with friends and not by myself,” Abodunrin said.

A spokesperson with UMN shared this statement: 

“Though there are many ways to define safety in our community, any positive statistical trends are a positive indicator of strong community safety efforts. Working in close partnership with the Minneapolis Police Department, the University and our Department of Public Safety have invested more in public safety in the Dinkytown area than ever before. These investments have included UMPD’s mutual aid expansion, creating the Dinkytown Alert notification system, and funding additional overtime shifts for UMPD officers to conduct visible patrols throughout the area. The Off-Campus Safety Center expanded on these previous investments. It’s become an accessible resource for University students, faculty and staff, as well as those working or socializing in Dinkytown. We look forward to continuing these programs in Dinkytown, and working closely with MPD, to keep our community safe.”

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Four people, including a teen boy, were injured overnight when a fight escalated into a stabbing in Minneapolis.

What we know:

Minneapolis police were called to Lowry Avenue North near Fremont Avenue North shortly after 4 a.m. for the report of a fight.

Around the same time, officers also received a call about a fight down the block along Irving Avenue North near Lowry.

Police say at the Lowry Avenue location, they found a man, a woman, and a boy in his late teens who had been stabbed. At the home on Irving Avenue North, they found another man who had also suffered a stab wound.

The backstory:

Investigators say it appears there was a large group of people at the home on Irving Avenue when there was an “altercation” that turned violent.

All four victims were injured at that home, and the three found on Lowry Avenue had walked to safety from the crime scene after the fight.

What’s next:

The investigation into the stabbings is ongoing. It’s unclear what sparked the altercation or if police have arrested a suspect.

All four victims are expected to survive their injuries, police said.