The son of a couple who died in a fire that appeared to have been intentionally set at their Diamond Bar home was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder.
Detectives had asked the public to help them find Ryan Michael Venti, 33, in connection with the house fire in which his parents, Linda Venti, 66, and John Venti, 75, were found dead. The couple's dog also died in the arson fire.
In addition to the murder counts, Venti was charged with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and one count each of arson of an inhabited structure and cruelty to an animal.
Arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday. He is being held without bail.
The fire was reported about 5 a.m. Friday in the 3600 block of Crooked Creek Drive, and it took firefighters about 40 minutes to knock down the flames. The badly burned bodies of two victims were found in a bedroom, along with the charred remains of the dog.
Sheriff's Lt. John Corina said investigators were working to determine if the victims were killed before the fire.
There were no working smoke detectors inside the home.
