No arson evidence in fire that destroyed S.C. judge’s home: Agents

Associated press

Jeffrey Collins

Published on October 6, 2025 • 2 minutes of reading

In this image, shot with a video with aerial records, the judge of the District Court Diane Gudstein Burns House on October 4, 2025 in Edite -Bich, South Caroline Photo by Robbie Borden /Associated press

Columbia, South Carolina – state agents still did not find any evidence that the fire that destroyed the judge’s house on the island of South Carolina was deliberately installed, a senior state law enforcement officer said on Monday.

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According to the authorities, the subbotnaya Bliz almost burned down to the ground, which is said in real estate records belonging to the district judge Diane Gudstein in the remote part of the island of Edisto.

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The investigation is still actively continues, and the agents will issue a report when they are completed and determine the reason, the director of the state in law enforcement agencies Mark Kil said in a statement of the director.

“At present, there is no evidence that the fire was deliberately.

Kil and his agents did not release any other details.

According to the fire department of the college district, three people were injured, and one of them was delivered by helicopter to the Medical University of South Carolina. The names of the victims were not released.

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The first floor of the house was increased from the ground, and the injured had to jump to the ground. Somewhat then were to be saved by kayaks from the marsh backyard, the statement of the fire district of St. Paul on social networks said.

Video from the fire service showed that the house is completely covered by fire. In the photographs of drones shot on stage later, they showed only a few charred wooden supports standing among blackened fragments.

Gudstein was a state judge for 27 years, doing thousands of cases. The speculation immediately agreed to one of its latest decisions when Gudstein blocked the election commission in South Carolin from the release of voter data requested by the US Department of Justice.

Her prohibitive order was canceled about a week later by the Supreme Court of the state, who said that Gudstein could not describe in detail whether the voter who had filed a lawsuit would bear irreparable harm or proved that she would probably win the lawsuit on the merits.

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The Kile agency almost never issues statements, while the investigations continue outside the main facts. But the last sentence of his statement on Monday indicated why he made an exception.

“I urge our citizens, selected officials and representatives of the press to fulfill common sense and not to exchange information that has not been verified,” Kil wrote, who led the state police since 2011 and has been working in law enforcement for 46 years.

The General Assembly elects judges in South Carolin, and when Gudstein lasted the last time in 2022, the commission to check merits in court merits noted its sterling reputation and temperament and called it an asset to the state.

Almost two decades ago, Gudstein led a civil lawsuit, which led to settlement of $ 12 million between victims of sexual violence and the Roman Catholic diocese of Charleston.

She also chaired in 2014 during the trial of sports between the National Bishopal Church and the broken diocese of South Carolina, which spilled from theological differences, including the authorities of the scriptures and the ordination of gays.