US | crime Wildfire Suspect Charged in Heart Attack 'Murders' Unusual case links arson to deaths By Mary Papenfuss Posted Oct 23, 2009 4:13 AM CDT Copied Flames roar up a hill in San Bernardino, Calif., earlier this month. A man suspected of setting a fire in the same area in 2003 has been charged with murder in connection with 5 heart attack deaths. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows) California officials have taken the unusual step of charging a wildfire arson suspect with murder in the death of 5 people who suffered heart attacks escaping the flames. Prosecutors intend to prove the stress of the fire caused the deaths in the massive 2003 San Bernardino blaze. The groundbreaking case will be complicated by the fact that the victims had a history of heart disease, reports AP. The suspect is already in prison on a burglary conviction. Read These Next The suspect in the Charlie Kirk shooting is a 22-year-old from Utah. Utah's governor asks a tough question after Kirk shooting. Trump says the Charlie Kirk suspect has likely been caught. Messages on ammo may speak to motive in Charlie Kirk case. Report an error