Name: Woman faces court over fatal Melbourne house fire
Uploaded: 2026-01-03T06:27:58.038Z
Duration: 1 min 39 s
Description: A 29-year-old woman has been charged with murder and attempted murder, more than two weeks after she allegedly doused a man in accelerant and set him alight in Melbourne. The 44-year-old victim has been remembered as a loving father.

A 29-year-old woman has been charged with murder and attempted murder, more than two weeks after she allegedly doused a man in accelerant and set him alight in Melbourne. The 44-year-old victim has been remembered as a loving father.

Melbourne

Jessica Cruz Guzman, 29, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and several other offences following a house fire in Clyde North, Melbourne, that resulted in the death of Stuart Blair and left another man seriously injured. Authorities allege that Cruz Guzman poured flammable liquid on the victims and set them alight, with multiple people, including a child and a service dog, managing to escape the blaze.

Cruz Guzman has remained under police guard in hospital since the incident and appeared visibly shaken during her court appearance. Prosecutors noted that there is extensive CCTV and body-worn camera footage to review, and they are awaiting a statement from the surviving victim. The case is scheduled to return to court in May.

Woman faces court over fatal Melbourne house fire

Stuart Blair was a devoted and loving father of three, but his life was cut short, allegedly murdered at the hands of someone he knew. In the early hours of December 18 last year, authorities were called to a share house engulfed by flames at Clyde North. 29-year-old Jessica Cruz Guzman is accused of murdering 44-year-old Stuart and trying to murder a 46-year-old man by pouring flammable liquid onto him before setting him alight. Both men, along with a woman, girl and service dog, were able to escape the inferno, but the men in their 40s were badly burnt. They were taken to hospital, along with the accused, but Stuart died later that day, his daughter's heartbroken. Us three girls were his life, he loved us all very deeply. He loved his footy and his beloved Collingwood, he loved to be the comedian in the room and had the best banter with everyone. More than two weeks after the blaze, Jessica Cruz Guzman was charged with nine offences, including murder and attempted murder, intentionally destroying the share house and endangering the lives of the two others inside at the time. Cruz Guzman has been under police guard in hospital since the fatal fire. Today, in the dock, she was wearing a compression glove, shaking and almost in tears. The prosecutor told the court there's an extensive amount of CCTV and body-worn camera footage to go through, and they're yet to get a statement from the 46-year-old still in hospital. Cruz Guzman will next appear in May. Ashley Pollack, 10 News.

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