Arraignment postponed for man accused in shooting, starting Miami apartment fire
MIAMI - Arraignment has been postponed until September for the man accused of shooting an employee at a Miami apartment building and then setting it on fire.
Juan Figueroa, 73, is facing attempted murder and arson charges. He's accused of shooting maintenance worker Feder Biotte on the third floor of the Temple Court Apartments last month and then lighting a fire in the building.
The fire quickly spread through the four-story complex and dozens of people had to be evacuated. Over 40 were displaced and many are temporarily staying at a Doral motel.
The fire engulfed the building and caused so much damage that it was deemed unsafe and is being demolished.
According to witnesses, it was Biotte, who was found bleeding from a gunshot wound to the abdomen on the first floor, who identified Figueroa as the man who had shot him.
Figueroa has a criminal past. In the 990s, he was convicted of second-degree murder and served seven years in prison. CBS News Miami's partner The Miami Herald reports at the time his car was towed and he couldn't pay for it. When he was denied a job at the towing company to pay it off, he came back with a handgun, and a bystander was shot several times.
He also has prior arrests for aggravated assault, battery, and burglarizing an unoccupied structure.
In the arrest report after the fire and shooting, Figueroa told police that he expects he will be in prison for the rest of his life.
