WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va.. (WSAZ) – Murder and arson charges have been filed against a man accused in an incident that resulted in death and the burning of a house in Fort Gay, West Virginia.

Daryl Riggs was charged with second-degree murder and arson following an incident reported Oct. 28 in the 2100 block of Mill Creek Road, according to court documents.

Court documents state Riggs made a confession regarding the Nov. 3 death of Robert Estep.

In his interview with the police, Riggs described the fatal situation as “drug dealing going bad.”

Riggs told officers that Estep pulled out a knife during their encounter on Mill Creek Road, but he managed to remove the knife from Estep’s hand after he was cut.

Officers noted Riggs had a cut on his left hand and thumb.

Riggs later admitted to ‘slicing’ Estep in the lower abdomen three or four times before taking off.

When asked about Estep’s house being burned down after the incident, Riggs said, “Oh yeah, I had to do that,” according to testimony in the criminal complaint. “I came to burn the house because I was afraid,” the officers said.

The remains of 65-year-old Robert Estep were found in the burned home, according to the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Riggs admitted to officers that he set fire to the back porch with a lighter.

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