Two adults — Rita Montgomery and Alonza Cooksey — were arrested and charged following an October 2025 house fire in Shreveport that killed 8-year-old Aaliyah Robinson and 5-year-old Danielle Spearman. Montgomery faces second-degree murder and aggravated arson charges; Cooksey faces counts including contributing to the delinquency of minors. Authorities previously arrested a 15-year-old who was not indicted by a grand jury in November, and investigators say neighbor surveillance footage did not show who started either fire. The Shreveport Fire Department called the probe complex and said the investigation remains active.
Two Adults Arrested in Connection to 2025 Shreveport House Fire That Killed Two Children
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Two adults have been arrested and formally charged in connection with a house fire in Shreveport, Louisiana, that killed two young children in October 2025, the Shreveport Fire Department (SFD) said in a press release on Feb. 2.
Authorities arrested 50-year-old Rita Montgomery and 45-year-old Alonza Cooksey after what the department described as an "extensive investigation" into the blaze at a home on Milton Street. Montgomery faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder and aggravated arson. Cooksey was booked on counts described by officials as prohibited activities and sanctions and contributing to the delinquency of minors.
Timeline And Evidence
Investigators say the residence was damaged by two separate fires: one at the rear of the house just before midnight on Oct. 12, 2025, and a second at the front of the home around 1:45 a.m. the following morning. Two children who lived in the house — 8-year-old Aaliyah Robinson and 5-year-old Danielle Spearman — were killed in the incident.
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A 15-year-old was arrested shortly after the October fires on two charges, but a grand jury declined to indict that teen in November, citing insufficient evidence, according to local reporting. Officials said the teenager had been living in the home with roughly ten other people.
Investigative Notes
Investigators relied in part on surveillance video from a neighbor's property while reconstructing events, but authorities have said the footage did not show who started the initial fire or who set the later fire at the front of the house that led to the fatalities. The SFD has not publicly detailed what new evidence led to the arrests of Montgomery and Cooksey or what, if any, relationship the two adults had to the deceased children.
“This has been an incredibly complex and emotionally difficult investigation,” Fire Chief Clarence Reese Jr. said in a statement. “Our arson investigators have remained committed from day one to uncovering the truth and seeking justice for Aaliyah and Danielle. While nothing can undo this tragic loss, we hope these arrests provide some measure of accountability and reassurance to our community.”
The Shreveport Fire Department said the investigation into the cause and circumstances of the fire remains active and ongoing. Local news outlets reporting on the case include KTBS, KTAL and the Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate; the SFD's Feb. 2 press release provided the update on the arrests.
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