Marshals arrest Toledo woman for father’s death in 2012

7/20/2013

Robert McGhee was safely out of his burning condominium in Springfield Township when he ran back in after his daughter, Kenya McGhee, who was on the building’s third floor.

Ms. McGhee, 38, jumped from the balcony, breaking her right leg and left ankle; her father never made it out and was later pronounced dead of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Friday morning in Houston, U.S. Marshals arrested Ms. McGhee on two counts each of murder and aggravated arson and one count of aggravated murder, all related to the March 25, 2012, fire at Hidden Cedars Condominiums that killed her father and Olandia Dixon.

Ms. McGhee was being held in a Houston-area jail pending an extradition hearing.

Lucas County sheriff’s Detective Phil Williams said Ms. McGhee has been a suspect for a “couple months.”

He declined to discuss motive or what led authorities to suspect Ms. McGhee. The detective said there could be additional suspects as the investigation continues.

In the months after the township fire, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office ruled Mr. McGhee’s death a suicide and authorities believed the 61-year-old man was responsible for starting the blaze, which left about 35 people homeless.

Dr. Cynthia Beisser, who performed the autopsy on Mr. McGhee, was not available for comment Friday.

“As the investigation continued, things changed and we went to the prosecutors office,” Detective Williams said.

Rodney Hartzell, a deputy U.S. Marshal in Northern Ohio, said Ms. McGhee was arrested about 10:30 a.m. at her apartment in Houston.

Marshals there were watching the apartment when Ms. McGhee, who is still suffering injuries from the jump, arrived in a vehicle with an Ohio license plate.

She was arrested and taken into custody, Deputy Hartzell said.

Detective Williams could not comment on any potential dispute between Ms. McGhee and her father.

After the fire, Ms. McGhee’s teenaged daughter, Dynasty Darden, told The Blade she last saw her grandfather when the the two were running out of the building.

“The last time I saw him he was going up the stairs then the lights went out and I couldn’t breath because of the smoke and I had to leave,” she said. “When the flames came up, [my mother] jumped out.”

Contact Taylor Dungjen at:

tdungjen@theblade.com,

419-724-6054, or on

Twitter @taylordungjen.