Indiana Man Charged with Arson Cut Off Genitals...
Court Docs: Indiana Man Charged with Arson Cut Off Genitals, Set Them On Fire
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – What started as an investigation into a stabbing and arson took a disturbing turn in Fort Wayne after a man admitted he’d set his own genitals on fire.
On May 6, the Fort Wayne Fire Department investigated a fire at a detached garage. Around the same time, police were responding to a reported stabbing, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The property owners of the garage said a neighbor woke them up to alert them to the fire. The owners noticed a family member, 36-year-old Christopher Peden, was missing.
Meantime, Fort Wayne police encountered a stabbing victim who turned out to be Peden, according to court documents. As he was being taken to a hospital, he claimed he’d been stabbed somewhere in downtown Fort Wayne. He also said he’d been threatened the day before.
According to court documents, Peden later told investigators he was “dishonest” about the stabbing and “wanted to be truthful.”
That’s when he revealed the true cause of the fire.
Peden said he went to the garage and “harmed himself” by “cutting off his penis” with a kitchen knife, according to court documents.
He told investigators he then poured gasoline on it and “set it on fire on the floor of the garage just inside the door.” He walked away until he encountered police.
Court documents indicate that investigators collected evidence from the garage, including a red plastic gas container, four lighters and a kitchen knife.
Peden is charged with arson, a Level 4 felony. A hearing is scheduled for next week, according to court records.
