A UB employee is facing new murder and arson charges for allegedly killing his girlfriend and their infant son, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced last week.
Kidane Haile, 30, was first indicted last month on one count of second degree murder for killing his 29-year-old girlfriend Kathleen Carrig by strangulation, according to a press release from the DA’s office.
Haile is now alleged to have murdered their 4-day-old son and set the family’s Elmwood Village home ablaze with gasoline on Oct. 18, according to prosecutors.
Haile was hospitalized for several days after the fire due to smoke inhalation.
Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane said at a press conference Thursday that his office brought that first charge as quickly as possible to “make sure that he didn’t walk out of the hospital a free man” while a grand jury investigation continued.
“Obviously, this is a horrific tragedy for this family,” Keane said in a press conference recorded by WIVB. “It’s important that they have at least some answers at this stage of the criminal proceeding as to what occurred.”
Haile now faces one count of first degree murder, two counts of second degree murder and one count of arson, according to a state court database. He has pleaded guilty to all charges.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Haile faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is being held without bail and is due back in court on Dec. 1.
Keane declined to say whether law enforcement had previously received domestic violence complaints against Haile at the conference, citing ethics rules.
The university has not said whether Haile is still a UB employee. In a previous statement, a spokesperson noted that UB “cannot comment on specific personnel matters” and has a “robust disciplinary process in place to address instances where an employee may have engaged in criminal activity.”
The statement also said that UB is offering “its heartfelt condolences to those who are grieving the horrific loss of loved ones” and is providing counseling to affected employees.
Mylien Lai is the senior news editor and can be reached at mylien.lai@ubspectrum.com
Mylien Lai is the senior news editor at The Spectrum. Outside of getting lost in Buffalo, she enjoys practicing the piano and being a bean plant mom. She can be found at @my_my_my_myliennnn on Instagram.
