NEW ORLEANS — The man who allegedly set the fire that killed three children had his charges upgraded on Thursday, according to our partners at The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.
29- year-old Joseph Washington now faces first-degree murder charges.
NOLA.com says a magistrate judge called the "heinous acts" a "textbook case of first-degree murder." Washington is being held without bond.
On Wednesday, Washington was booked on three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of cruelty to a juvenile and one count of aggravated arson. He was taken into custody on the I-610 Eastbound at the Elysian Fields exit when the vehicle he was in stopped and he attempted to flee by jumping off the overpass.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.