Virginia
Man, 78, charged with murder, arson in fatal Virginia fire
Detectives in Northern Virginia say a man is accused of setting his neighbor’s home on fire and killing her, burning his own home down, and then filing an insurance claim.
On Oct. 24, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue responded to the Lowes Island area of Sterling, where a three-alarm fire claimed the life of a 36-year-old woman.
On Tuesday, her neighbor was arrested and charged with arson and murder.
Video shows fire tearing through townhomes. Three adjacent properties were damaged. The residents asked News4 not to share their names, but they shared their story. They said they woke up early last Friday morning, and the light pouring in from the window convinced them it was daytime.
But when they checked the clock, it was 1 a.m.
They looked out the window and saw their back porch fully engulfed in fire, burning with their neighbors’ homes. They rushed outside and heard their neighbor inside her home.
“She’s asking for help, and there’s nothing we could do,” one of the residents said.
After a couple of minutes of screaming, the voice went quiet, they said.
The Loudoun County Fire Department says 36-year-old Madelaine Akers was trapped inside her burning home and was killed.
“We saw lots of smoke coming out from that window. Lot of smoke coming out from that window, and within 3-4 minutes, we couldn’t hear her voice,” they said.
Akers lived in the townhome second from the end. The end unit was also a total loss.
After days of investigating, fire officials ruled out any possibility that the fire was accidental. After checking doorbell camera video and reviewing his car’s tracking data, the sheriff’s office arrested 78-year-old Jacob Bogatin.
He lived in the end unit, although neighbors said he and his wife appeared to move out of their home in the weeks and days leading up to the fire.
Fire investigators determined the flames started behind Akers’ unit, and they believe Bogatin intentionally started the fire.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by News4, the day after the fire, an insurance claim was filed for Bogatin’s home for more than double of what is owed on the residence that was recently foreclosed on.
Bogatin has been charged with arson and Akers’ murder.
Bogatin’s criminal case history shows a case involving federal indictments from 2003. The charges listed include RICO conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and SEC fraud.
In that 2003 federal case out of Pennsylvania, the federal government alleged Bogatin conspired with a few others to set up a fraudulent business and then allegedly take that fraudulent business public to line their own pockets by defrauding investors out of tens of millions of dollars, according to court records. Those records did not specify what the final result of that case was.
Bogatin is in a Loudoun County jail awaiting a court hearing on the murder charge.
There’s little change in the latest High School on SI Virginia girls basketball Top 25 poll as all 25 squads return from last week.
Undefeated Princess Anne is again No. 1 followed by The Saint James Performance Academy, Bishop Ireton, Catholic-Virginia Beach and Menchville. Shining Stars Sports Academy, Manchester, Potomac School, Saint Anne’s-Belfield School and Osbourn Park complete the Top 10.
Five teams – Langley, Manor, Thomas Dale, Oakton and Centreville – each moved up one spot.
Here’s this week’s High School on SI Virginia girls basketball Top 25:
Previous rank: No. 1
Record: 17-0
The Cavaliers defeated No. 16 Salem-Virginia Beach, 70-45, and Bayside, 86-13.
Previous rank: No. 2
Record: 12-3
The Strivers extended their winning streak to 10 with a 63-37 decision over Kingdom Collegiate Academy (Tex.).
Previous rank: No. 3
Record: 14-5
The Cardinals defeated No. 11 Saint Paul VI Catholic, 57-53 after a loss to Elizabeth Seton (Md.)
Previous rank: No. 4
Record: 12-8
The Crusaders defeated Norfolk Academy and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy by a combined 148 points.
Previous rank: No. 5
Record: 11-1
The Monarchs are scheduled to play Woodside Tuesday.
Previous rank: No. 6
Record: 12-4
The Panthers defeated Newman (Mass.) and Saint Frances Academy (Md.) at The More Than A Highlight Showcase in New York.
Previous rank: No. 7
Record: 14-1
The Lancers ran their winning streak to 13 with a 93-22 victory over Huguenot.
Previous rank: No. 8
Record: 12-6
The Panthers rebounded from a loss to District of Columbia No. 2 Sidwell Friends School with wins over Georgetown Day School (D.C.) and Flint Hill School (Va.).
Previous rank: No. 9
Record: 13-3
The Saints defeated Trinity Episcopal School, 80-33.
Previous rank: No. 10
Record: 12-6
The Yellowjackets defeated Unity Reed.
Previous rank: No. 11
Record: 16-5
The Panthers dropped an overtime decision to No. 3 Bishop Ireton.
Previous rank: No. 12
Record: 14-5
The Patriots dropped decisions to Monsignor Scanlan (N.Y.) and Gill Saint Bernard’s School (N.J.).
Previous rank: No. 13
Record: 15-1
The Stallions defeated Lake Braddock and Carter G. Woodson.
Previous rank: No. 16
Record: 15-1
The Eagles have won eight straight by double-digits.
Previous rank: No. 15
Record: 12-3
The Wolverines defeated West Springfield and James W. Robinson.
Previous rank: No. 16
Record: 15-3
The Sundevils rebounded from a loss to No. 1 Princess Anne with a 78-7 win over Kempsville.
Previous rank: No. 17
Record: 13-4
The Knights defeated Landstown (75-47) and First Colonial (73-21).
Previous rank: No. 19
Record: 16-1
The Saxons defeated McLean, 55-23.
Previous rank: No. 20
Record: 12-1
The Mustangs defeated Churchland.
Previous rank: No. 21
Record: 14-0
The Knights defeated Petersburg (73-30) and Hopewell (72-46).
Previous rank: No. 22
Record: 15-4
The Cougars defeated Westfield and James Madison.
Previous rank: No. 23
Record: 13-4
The Wildcats defeated James Madison and then-No. 18 Chantilly.
Previous rank: No. 23
Record: 17-1
The Spartans defeated Lord Botetourt (42-31) and Cave Spring (56-19).
Previous rank: No. 24
Record: 14-2
The Bulldogs defeated Indian River and Oscar Smith by an average margin of 65 points.
Previous rank: No. 25
Record: 10-7
The Ambassadors defeated Norfolk Collegiate Academy, 77-32.
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