Roberto Hipolito Reaches Plea Deal For Walmart Car Fire That Killed Ty'rah White, 6
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Roberto Hipolito reached a plea agreement Tuesday in connection to the 2019 car fire in a Fridley Walmart parking lot that killed a 6-year-old girl and injured her 9-year-old sister.
It happened on the morning of Aug. 6, 2019. Hipolito, 71, and his wife had slept in their van overnight in the Walmart parking lot. Surveillance video showed Hipolito using a portable stove to cook something behind his van, before putting the hot stove in the rear of the vehicle and moving the van to a spot closer to the store.
Hipolito went inside the store before a passerby alerted his wife that their vehicle was on fire. She is seen frantically trying to remove items from the van, but the fire quickly spreads, and soon ignites the vehicle on either side.
One of those vehicles contained Ty'rah White, 6, and Taraji White, 9. Ty'rah was killed, and Taraji survived, suffering serious burns. Their mother was shopping when the fire occurred.
READ MORE: Family Of Girl Burned In Fridley Car Fire Seeks Help With Medical Expenses
Hipolito later told investigators he moved pillows and blankets near the hot stove before moving to the spot next to the girls' vehicle.
Hipolito pleaded guilty Tuesday to two felony counts of starting a negligent fire that resulted in great bodily harm. One of those counts will be dismissed when he's sentenced on Aug. 12 due to a plea agreement created with the support of the White family.
