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According to police, the home at 52 W. Harwood was the site of a murder-suicide and fire in which two Madison Heights residents died March 27. The home is seen here the following morning.
Photo by Andy Kozlowski
MADISON HEIGHTS — Authorities have determined that foul play was involved in a house fire on Harwood Avenue in which two people were found dead.
Paul Biliti, the fire marshal for Madison Heights, said that the 911 call came in shortly before 9:30 a.m. on March 27. The residence is a single-story home at 52 W. Harwood Avenue, near John R and 10 Mile roads.
By the next morning, the bright white home looked relatively unscathed. Biliti said there had been mild smoke coming from the peak of the roof when Madison Heights firefighters arrived alongside mutual aid from Ferndale, Royal Oak and Birmingham.
“The doors of the home were locked, and there was a car in the driveway, so we treated the situation as possibly having people inside,” Biliti said. “We did a quick search, and that’s when we found two people inside and removed them. They were already deceased.”
In a statement the following day by Madison Heights Police Lt. David Koehler, it was revealed that the victims were Christopher Spicer, 40, who lived at the home, and Candace Hawkins, 42, who is also a Madison Heights resident but at a different address.
“Our current investigation shows Spicer and Hawkins were in a previous dating relationship,” Koehler stated.
The Michigan State Police Crime Lab set up at the scene. An autopsy by the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death. Spicer committed suicide, the report said, having died of self-inflicted stab wounds. Hawkins also died of stab wounds, but her wounds were not self-inflicted.
“Based on the current information, the Madison Heights Police Department believes this is a ‘murder-suicide,’ and there is no threat to the public,” Koehler stated. He added that the department was continuing to review the evidence.
“Our condolences go out to those affected by this tragedy,” Koehler said.
Biliti said the fire was a deliberate act.
“We believe it was intentionally started in the hallway in the home,” the fire marshal said. “There was a combustible liquid in close proximity.”
He said that fatal structure fires in Madison Heights are exceedingly rare, with the last one having occurred four years ago, and the one prior having been four years before that.
“This is not something that normally happens,” Biliti said.
He thanked everyone who worked together to resolve the situation.
“I commend the joint effort between the fire departments, along with the Michigan State Police and the detective bureau at the MHPD,” Biliti said. “I would also like to remind people to have working smoke detectors inside their homes. They save lives.”
Anyone with more information about the incident is asked to call the Madison Heights Police Department at (248) 585-2100.
