Where There's Smoke...
Man fakes his own death — so who is the charred victim he murdered?
 | Video |
 |
Where There’s Smoke… A man apparently killed in a fire seems at first to be an accident, but in the embers, police find reason to be suspicious. Who did the charred body belong to, and where was the man who was missing? Watch the full hour here. Dateline NBC |
Most popular Dateline pages |
Sign up for the newsletter |
|
This report aired on Dateline NBC on Monday, June 22, 2009.
Dave Godlewski: The lack of respect for human life. The selfishness.
Donna FioRito: I've never heard of anything happening like to this anybody in my life, ever.
The story of one woman's anguish began with another woman's call.
911 call: "I think my garage is on fire."
The caller reported a fire in the garage at her upscale home in suburban Chicago. It was 8:24 on a Saturday morning in February 2008.
911 call: "Should I go outside or what do I do?"
When firemen arrived, the woman was waiting outside. Her name: Denise Squire. She was concerned her husband Ari wasn't answering his cell phone. He drives a white truck, she said. Dave Godlewski is deputy chief of the sheriff's office in Lake County, Ill.
Dave Godlewski: Their first concern is - at this point - is life, safety.
By now black smoke was billowing from the garage. Firemen rushed inside and found the white truck engulfed. They quickly put out the fire, but when the smoke cleared: a sad sight.
Dave Godlewski: Underneath the truck is a deceased individual. The truck is severely burned and it appears at this point the upper torso of the body was severely burnt also.
Rob Stafford: Could not recognize the face.
Dave Godlewski: No, not at all.
But the lower half of the body was intact, so firemen searched for the victim's wallet.
Dave Godlewski: There was identification in his rear pocket.
Rob Stafford: Whose identification?
Dave Godlewski: Ari Squire.
Ari Squire, the woman's 39-year-old husband, a partner in a small construction company. But his real passion in life was working on diesel trucks. It appeared Ari died doing what he loved. The truck was up on a jack. Apparently he was underneath on his back when the jack slipped, and the truck fell, crushing him and breaking a light, which seemed to have sparked the fire.
Rob Stafford: This looks like an accident.
Dave Godlewski: Yes.
Rob Stafford: Freak accident?
Dave Godlewski: Yes.
It wasn't surprising Ari would be in his garage. He spent a lot of time there. He was part of the diesel truck world, where fellow truck enthusiasts, mostly men, bond at events around the country. They show off their pride and joy, share information, see the latest gear and compete in drag races and truck pulls.
Chad Embrey: It's an obsession because you have the ability to make your hobby something you're going to use every single day.
Chad Embrey is the owner of dieselbombers.com, one of several Web sites that cater to the community.
Chad Embrey: Ari was an avid puller and racer and he got other people involved in the sport.
Embrey says when word got out that Ari had died under his truck, fellow truckers immediately identified with him, particularly because Ari was known to be very meticulous and safety-conscious. And yet, he died in such a sad but familiar way.
Chad Embrey: We just felt pain for losing a brother in a community, especially the way he died was something that we've done so many times - crawling underneath our trucks.
What's more, Ari was especially well-liked in the diesel community.
|
Chad Embrey: He was an extremely nice guy. I think he stood out because he was willing to - to volunteer his parts and tools to help others that he was competing against. And usually once that competitive nature takes over, people get into it for themselves. But Ari wasn't like that.
News of Ari's death traveled quickly through diesel truck Web sites.
Chad Embrey: People were very upset. The outpouring of people's sorrow was overwhelming.
That was also true among Ari's family and other friends. His wife, Denise, held a memorial dinner that week at an Italian restaurant for more than a hundred of Ari's relatives and closest friends. But there were also some uninvited guests -- members of the lake county sheriff's office. They were thinking some things about the accident were looking a bit suspicious... As was the marriage of Ari and Denise Squire.
Rob Stafford: What do you find out about their marriage?
Scott Morrison: Well, it's a very unusual marriage - from my experience. It appeared to be very cold. They didn't know much about each other. She couldn't provide many details about his life that a normal husband and wife would know about each other.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM CRIME STORIES |
 Crime stories Section Front |
| Add Crime stories headlines to your news reader: |