2 Arrested In Deadly Livermore Apartment Explosion
LIVERMORE (CBS SF) -- Two people critically injured in a Livermore apartment explosion last year were arrested Thursday on suspicion of causing the explosion that killed the third person in the apartment, police said.
Evan Aviles, 22, and his girlfriend, Lexie Hutson, 23, were both hospitalized with severe burns after the explosion in their apartment at 3624 Silver Oaks Way on May 21, 2011.
Another man in the apartment, Paul Lom, 35, of San Jose, was also severely burned in the explosion and died at the hospital several days later.
The explosion caused a fire that left the five-unit building temporarily uninhabitable and caused $350,000 in damage.
Police said their 13-month investigation indicates that Aviles, Hutson and Lom were manufacturing hashish oil in the apartment using highly flammable liquid butane to extract the oil.
The gas pooled on the floor during the manufacturing process, eventually leading to the explosion.
Aviles and Hutson were arrested on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance and Lom's murder.
Police said the two acted with a conscious disregard for human life while making the hashish oil, which led to Lom's death and endangered other residents of the building.
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