Texas Man Burns Down Home, Kills Brother, Hurts Mom For Not Following Bible

Photo: El Paso Police Department

A Texas man is under arrest for allegedly burning down his home, killing his brother, and injuring his mother. Authorities in El Paso said that Phillip Daniel Mills, 40, was angry with his family because they refused to follow the teachings of the Bible.

"Phillip Daniel Mills set fire to the inside of his home and fled, leaving his mother and brother inside the burning residence," El Paso police said in a statement.

His mother, Florence Annette Mills, 82, managed to walk out of the home after suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. She was taken to the hospital, where she is receiving treatment for her injuries. Mills' brother, Paul Aaron Mills, 54, was pulled from the flames and rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Mills admitted to lighting the couch on fire and told investigators he was trying to ride the home of "evil."

"Once the sofa caught on fire, he walked outside the house and waited to see if his mother or brother would go outside, but they didn't," the affidavit reads, according to KTSM. "The defendant advised that he waited outside the residence with large rocks in his hands in the event that both his brother and mother had made it out the burning residence."

When investigators told Mills that his mother survived the fire, he laughed and called the fire a "failed attempt" to kill her.

Mills, who has a lengthy criminal history, was booked on charges of capital murder and arson and is being held on a $2.5 million bond.

"Unfortunately, he had to take his brother's life, you know, and the mom lost her son. She lost two sons because the other ones are going to prison," Roger Torres, a neighbor, told KTSM.


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