Man charged in connection to Ashby homicide

Authorities say a 28-year-old man has been charged in connection to a homicide and fire that happened in Ashby on Wednesday.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office says Victor Manuel Marales has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson in connection to the death of Encarncion Gutierrez Quixan.

A criminal complaint states the Grant County sheriff was called to the report of a suspicious person. The caller told the sheriff his friend, later identified as Marales, was acting strange and had burned an apartment building.

The sheriff located the Marales and took him to his apartment building on the 100 block of Main Street.

The complaint says when Marales and the sheriff arrived at the apartment building, the sheriff could "smell something hot."

When the sheriff opened the door to one of the apartments, the two were overcome by smoke from an active fire.

Firefighters who responded to the fire informed authorities that Quixan’s body was found inside of the apartment.

In an interview, Marales admitted to bludgeoning Quixan and then setting the apartment on fire.