When a victim’s relative asked questions, an investigation led to a suspect in her dad’s death

SAN ANTONIO — A man was arrested and charged with arson after a man died in a house fire on the west side of San Antonio last month.

In the early morning hours of February 27, fire officials say a fire started in the 800 block of Northwest 20th Street near West Martin Street. The body of Richard Amesquita was found inside the home once the fire was out.

Thursday, KENS 5 obtained an arrest affidavit that showed the fire may have been intentionally set by a neighbor. Baltazar Castaneda, who police say lives near the victim, is charged with arson.

The affidavit says surveillance video from a nearby elementary school shows Castaneda acting strangely and pacing back and forth in front of the victim’s house in an “aggressive gait” in the hours before the fire. The surveillance video reportedly shows Castaneda walking up to the victim’s front door with what appeared to be a lighter. Minutes later, the house is seen on the video fully engulfed in flames.

Body-worn camera from one of the first responders also reportedly showed the suspect leaving the neighborhood in a pickup truck once fire crews arrived to respond to the fire.

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