2003 Old Fire: Suspect indicted - Five counts of murder

A San Bernardino County grand jury indicted Rickie Fowler on five counts of murder in connection with a 2003 wildfire that resulted in the deaths of six people in the path of the blaze, The Los Angeles Times reported.

If convicted Fowler could face the death penalty, prosecutors said.

The investigation as been ongoing since the first day, but gained steam last year, and then new evidence surfaced a few weeks ago.

Prosecutors had until Sunday to file arson charges – that’s when the statute of limitations would have run out.

Fowler has been jailed since 2003 on robbery charges, district attorney Michael Ramos said.

Several witnesses told authorities ahead of the blaze that they saw a man they believed was tossing lit matches out of his truck in the area.

Investigators say Rickie Fowler and another man were seen driving a white van along the road where the “Old Fire” began, and one of them threw a road flare into dry brush. The man Fowler allegedly was with that day was shot and killed three years ago.

The fire burned 90,000 acres, destroyed a thousand homes near two mountain resorts, and led to the heart attack deaths of five people, the youngest of whom was 54. Because the deaths occurred as a result of arson, Fowler could face the death penalty, if he’s convicted. He’s currently serving time for an unrelated burglary conviction.