Man Charged with Murder in Connection with Athens Church Fire

Police arrest Kyle Jay Hickox and accuse him of killing a woman before setting fire to St. Mark AME Zion Church in Tennessee.

An arrest has been made in connection with a fire started in an Athens, Tennessee, church, and police believe the suspect killed a woman inside before starting the blaze.

A police report obtained by WZTV states that surveillance footage captured Kyle Jay Hickox in the area several times before and after the historic church was burned to the ground earlier this month.

Man Charged with Murder in Connection with Athens Church Fire

According to the report, the victim who was found dead in the church, Linda Buchanan, did not die from the fire but was killed by another person before the fire was ignited.

Hickox was taken into custody Friday and charged with second-degree murder. Additional charges are pending.

Man Charged with Murder in Connection with Athens Church Fire

In the surveillance footage, Hickox is allegedly captured on Aug. 15 running across the property of the nearby Athens YMCA and onto the property of Tennessee Wesleyan University.

He entered a maintenance building at the college where a worker inside ordered him to leave. Hickox, the report said, responded that he "would get God's water" before exiting the building.

Man Charged with Murder in Connection with Athens Church Fire

The maintenance worker told investigators he then observed Hickox running toward St. Mark AME Zion Church and enter through the back door.

About 10 minutes later, Hickox was allegedly seen in the footage running through the YMCA property toward the college's soccer field.

Man Charged with Murder in Connection with Athens Church Fire

The suspect then removed his shirt and wrapped it around one of his hands. He also used a hose to spray his body off, surveillance footage showed.

Police executed a search warrant on Hickox's Athens home two days later and found clothing they believe he was wearing when the church was lit on fire.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Crime Lab revealed that blood on Hickox's left shoe matched Buchanan's blood.

Hickox was booked into the McMinn County Jail but has since been released.

The motive for the crime remains under investigation.

The St. Mark AME Zion Church was built in 1887 and is a historic landmark in Athens. The fire caused extensive damage to the church, but officials said they are committed to rebuilding it.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the rebuilding efforts.