A Cedar Rapids man, charged last month with killing a woman in her garage and then setting it on fire, is now charged in another burglary and arson of a houseboat from last year.
Timothy Evans, 38, was charged Wednesday with second-degree burglary and second-degree arson in Linn County District Court. He is accused of breaking into 2411 Houseboat Ct. NW on Nov. 5, and taking items from the houseboat before starting a fire with an “explosive or incendiary device or dangerous weapon,” according to a criminal complaint.
A “recently” smoked cigarette butt was found in the kitchen area of the houseboat during the investigation, which was analyzed for DNA that matched Evans, the complaint shows. Evans was interviewed about the burglary and wasn’t able to provide a legitimate explanation as to why he would be on the houseboat.
Evans, who was homeless at the time of his arrest and has been in the Linn County Jail since May 1, made his initial appearance on this charge by video from the jail Wednesday. He remains under a $2 million bail.
The houseboat burglary has remained open since November, according to a search warrant filed in February. After Evans was arrested, police have continued to look into similar burglaries for any possible connection to him.
Evans was charged May 1 with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and first-degree arson in the fatal assault of Frederiksen, 38, of Cedar Rapids, about 7:34 a.m. April 29, at 1814 I St. SW. Evans is accused of breaking into her detached garage and killing the mother of three.
Neighbors called 911 after hearing an explosion and when police arrived, officer Kevin Lukan pulled Frederiksen, who was unresponsive, from the engulfed garage and she was given emergency medical care but died a short time later at the hospital, according to police.
Frederiksen was found in the doorway of her burning garage with “traumatic injuries to her head and other parts of her body,” according to the complaint.
Two witnesses told police Tuesday that Evans described how he killed Frederiksen, just moments after it happened, and he admitted setting the fire in attempt to cover up the crime, according to the complaint.
The police investigation revealed this was random act that started out as a burglary of the garage and turned into a robbery that led to the fatal attack of Frederiksen, the complaint shows.
First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks and police haven’t released further details of the assault.
6th Judicial Associate District Judge Russell Keast had just released Evans on his own recognizance April 27, pending trial on misdemeanor third-degree burglary charge. In that case, Evans is accused of entering another person’s vehicle and stealing less than $200 in property on April 15, according to a criminal complaint.
Evans has also be charged with third-degree attempted burglary that occurred before Frederiksen’s death about 4:38 a.m. at 2101 Haven Court SW, which is in the same area, just further south of Fredriksen’s home, according to a criminal complaint. Footage from the homeowner’s surveillance camera shows Evans, who was later identified, approaching the home and the audio picked up the sound of the backdoor shutting as the man tried to get into the house.
The homeowner, Shelly Matthess, told the Gazette last month that after seeing Evans attempting to get into her house. He left her fenced in backyard but she got into her car and went looking for him in the neighborhood, not realizing he would later be a suspect in a homicide. Matthess didn’t come across Evans during her search that morning. l Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com