Spokane arson suspect shot and killed his own father in 2010 after a dispute about doing the dishes

( Post Millennial )

A man with a prior Arizona manslaughter conviction has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with a catastrophic wildfires that tore through Spokane County, Washington, over the weekend, destroying hundreds of homes, structures and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office announced Monday that Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, of Spokane, was arrested around 5 pm on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire. He is being held in the Spokane County Jail on $1 million bail and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday.

According to investigators, the case began shortly after 10 am Saturday when a resident reported seeing a man bending down along the shoulder near the intersection of Euclid Road and Old Trails Road, close to where the Old Trails Fire is believed to have started. The witness later spotted the same individual again while driving home and contacted the Airway Heights Police Department.

An Airway Heights police officer located the man roughly 1.5 miles from the fire's point of origin, questioned him, collected his identifying information, and released him. Over the following two days, detectives with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office continued gathering evidence, building the case, and working to locate the suspect before arresting Farinacci Monday afternoon.

The Old Trails Fire is one of three major blazes, including the Fairview and Autumn Lane fires, that have swept through Spokane County during one of Washington's worst wildfire disasters in recent history. Officials estimate the fires have destroyed approximately 700 structures, many of them homes, and forced as many as 65,000 people to evacuate. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown has described the disaster as "the worst natural disaster our region has faced."

Farinacci's criminal history dates back to October, 2010. According to Mesa, Arizona, police, after a family argument over household chores, including who would wash the dinner dishes, the dispute escalated when then-21-year-old Farinacci entered his parents' bedroom, locked the door, and retrieved his father's handgun from a nightstand. Police alleged that when his father, Jeffrey Farinacci, entered the room, Aaron Farinacci shot him twice. Investigators further alleged that when his mother rushed into the bedroom after hearing the gunfire, Farinacci pointed the firearm at her before she fled and called 911.

Jeffrey Farinacci was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Aaron Farinacci fled the home and was found about an hour later several blocks away suffering from what police described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

Maricopa County prosecutors initially charged Farinacci with first-degree murder and aggravated assault. Court records show those initial charges proceeded through a grand jury indictment before the case was ultimately resolved through a plea agreement. On Aug. 6, 2012, Farinacci pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter, a Class 2 felony under Arizona law, and separately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, a Class 3 felony.

The court docket also shows the case included Rule 11 competency proceedings, including a court-ordered mental health evaluation, before Farinacci entered his guilty pleas. His court records were sealed.

He was sentenced in October 2012 to prison followed by probation. Court records show he remained under court supervision for years before receiving an Order of Discharge of Probation in January 2024.

Before Farinacci's arrest, officials had announced only that the Spokane-area fires were believed to be human-caused, without identifying any suspects or disclosing whether investigators believed they had been intentionally set.

The arrest comes as hundreds of firefighters continue battling multiple large fires burning across Eastern Washington. Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency Saturday, imposing a statewide burn ban through Sept. 30 and activating additional Washington National Guard resources. More than 100 Washington National Guard members have been deployed alongside helicopter crews supporting firefighting operations. According to the Guard, aviation crews have dropped more than 923,000 gallons of water over 137 flight hours since operations began.

Following conversations between Ferguson, President Donald Trump, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant, allowing the federal government to reimburse up to 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs. California Interagency Incident Management Team 7 has also assumed command of the Spokane-area fires as more than 900 firefighters from local, state, and federal agencies battle what officials have designated the nation's highest wildfire suppression priority.