9 February 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – New court documents have been released in a case involving a man accused of intentionally setting a house fire that killed his girlfriend and two daughters.
Kyle Tyler, 32, is at the center of the case. Genny Fitzpatrick, 31, along with Peyton, 9, and Kourtney, 1, were all killed in a house fire in January 2023. Crews responded to the fire in the 900 block of Southwest Warren Avenue in Topeka just before 5 a.m. They found a fully engulfed fire that spread to a home next door.
An affidavit provided by the Shawnee County Court said firefighters found Tyler on the back deck. He was identified as a person of interest and monitored by Topeka Police Department officers while in the hospital being treated for fire-related injuries. A butane torch lighter was also found on the deck.
An investigative team found two different areas inside the home where fire was set: one in the middle of the living room and another in the basement. Investigators believe these are separate and one fire did not cause the other. The strong basement fire caused dangerous conditions for firefighters.
The investigation team included members from the Topeka Fire Department, Topeka Police Department, Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Tyler is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in the Third Judicial District on May 25, 2023. He is charged with three counts of murder in the first degree, aggravated arson and two counts of aggravated arson.