Coroner: 3-year-old boy shot by mother's boyfriend was alive when car set on fire

PASCO, Wash. (AP) — A Connell man accused of killing his 18-year-old girlfriend and her 3-year-old son has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

The Tri-City Herald reports that 25-year-old Prudencio Juan Fragos-Ramirez was charged Wednesday in connection to the deaths of Maria Cruiz-Calvillo and Luis Lopez-Cruz. The pair was found inside a vehicle that was set on fire in a ravine.

Coroner Dan Blasdel says it appears the boy was alive when the car was set ablaze, though he says tests to determine if the pair were alive have been requested. The two had both suffered gunshot wounds.

Fragos-Ramirez is set to return to court July 14 and is being held on $1 million bail.