Hays County grand jury does not indict man accused of arson in deadly San Marcos Iconic Village fire

No indictment in deadly Iconic Village apartment fire

A grand jury declined to indict a man accused of starting a deadly fire at the San Marcos Iconic village apartments in 2018.

SAN MARCOS, Texas - A grand jury declined to indict a man accused of starting a deadly fire at the San Marcos Iconic village apartments in 2018.

According to the Hays County District Attorney's Office, a Hays County grand jury issued a no-bill in the arson, causing death, case against Jacobe Ferguson. 

A no-bill means a grand jury did not find sufficient evidence to issue an indictment against a person accused of a felony in Texas.

Featured

article

Arrest made in deadly 2018 Iconic Village fire in San Marcos

Officials say an arrest has been made almost five years after an apartment fire in San Marcos killed five people.

Ferguson was accused of starting the 2018 fire at the Iconic Village apartments in San Marcos. 

Over the last two months, the grand jury met several times and reviewed evidence in the arson investigation. They said the case "failed to find a bill of indictment against the accused" and they "encourage law enforcement to continue this investigation."

What they're saying:

Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins said his office would continue to work with law enforcement to ensure that the investigation into the fire continues.

"I want to thank the members of the Grand Jury for their time and attention to this matter. I also want to thank the families of the young people killed and injured in this tragic fire for their patience and understanding. We feel for their loss every day and we remain committed to bringing the arsonist to justice to provide closure to those who have lost so much. We take the Grand Jury’s encouragement to continue the investigation to heart and will continue to work with the task force to that end."

What happened at the Iconic Village apartments?

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Iconic Village Apartments fire arrest

Officials say an arrest has been made almost five years after an apartment fire in San Marcos killed five people.

The backstory:

The fire started just on July 20, 2018, before 4:30 a.m. at Iconic Village Apartments in the 200 block of Ramsay Street, engulfing building 500 and moving to building 300. 

The fire also damaged a building at the nearby Vintage Pads Apartments, located in the 1000 block of North LBJ Drive. 

Officials at the time said the building where the bodies were recovered wasn't equipped with a sprinkler system as the buildings were constructed in the 1970s and local authorities could not require the buildings to be retrofitted.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrest made in San Marcos Iconic Village fire

Officials say an arrest has been made almost five years after an apartment fire in San Marcos killed five people.

In November 2018, the San Marcos Fire Department and the ATF announced the fire was intentionally set and the deaths had been ruled homicides.

In October 2022, an investigative team was formed that was dedicated to solving the open investigation.

Five people died in the fire: 

• 21-year-old Belinda Moats of Big Wells
• 19-year-old Haley Michele Frizzell of San Angelo
• 21-year-old David Ortiz of Pasadena
• 20-year-old Dru Estes of San Antonio
• 23-year-old James Miranda of Mount Pleasant

Moats, Frizzell, Ortiz, and Estes were all Texas State University students. All five were in the same building.

Dig deeper:

The case remained unsolved until a task force that included the ATF, Texas Rangers, the San Marcos Fire Marshal and San Marcos Police obtained an arrest warrant accusing Jacobe Ferguson in July 2023. 

Ferguson was held in jail for a time, but has been free on bond awaiting a decision on the matter since 2023. The decision of the grand jury releases Ferguson from that bond.