Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Florida Man Set Fire To Cover Up Murder of Two Kids: Sheriff

Episode Date: November 11, 2025

John Henry Walston, Jr. faces two charges of premeditated murder, sexual battery of a child younger than 12, arson and animal cruelty for the deaths of two siblings, Rayden Smith, 7 and Vayden Orum, 9. Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons announced Walston's arrest in a Facebook video. An arrest report claims a child in the home blamed a "Jamaican man" for setting the fire and Walston also claimed a man broke in and set the fire. Eventually, detectives said Walston confessed. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes through the horrific case in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://www.forthepeople.com/CrimeFixHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest:Dave Aronberg https://www.instagram.com/davearonberg/Producer:Jordan ChaconCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. I don't know what else I can say about this terrible event, except for please, hug your children. Two children are murdered, and the sheriff says a man who is supposed to care for the siblings set a fire to cover up his crimes and then tried to pin it on a Jamaican man. One was sexually assaulted and both were killed before. the fire started. I look at this horrific case out of Florida's panhandle, the charges, and the direction the case will likely take. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy, and this is Crime Fix. You know, there's a reason that Morgan and Morgan is the country's largest personal injury

law firm. It's because the firm wins a lot. Morgan and Morgan has more than a thousand lawyers who have recovered $25 billion for more than 500,000 clients. In the last few months, a client in Florida got $12 million when the insurance company offered just $350,000. In Pennsylvania, another client was awarded $26 million. That was 40 times the insurer's offer. Morgan and Morgan makes it really easy to fight for what you deserve. You can even start a claim from your phone. So if you're ever injured, you can start a claim at for the people.com slash crime fix, click the link below, or scan that QR code that you see right there on your screen. John Walston Jr. is accused of brutal crimes involving two children.

Those crimes include arson, murder, and sexual assault. He's also accused of killing a dog. And detectives say Walston got another child to lie to back up his cover story that a Jamaican man broke into his trailer and tossed a Molotov cocktail inside setting the fire. Walston is accused of murdering two children. Raiden Smith, she was seven, and her brother, Vaden Orum, was nine. Their family loved them dearly, and now their mother is planning their funerals. The siblings died early in the morning on November 7th at the mobile home where they were living in Ascambia County, Florida.

Ascambia County is in Florida's Panhandle. It's the westernmost county in Florida on the Alabama-Florida line. The fire was intense, and a neighbor actually went into the mobile home three times. to try to save the children. At first, some in the community appeared to believe that the fire may have been a tragic accident. Ascambia County firefighters worked to put out the flames early in the morning. Vaden and Raiden were students at Sherwood Elementary School. The school posted on Facebook, please keep this Sherwood family in your thoughts and prayers. Our hearts are broken. Hug your loved ones tight tonight. We will have grief counselors on campus next week

if any of our students need a place to go or someone to talk to. After the fire, Raiden and Vaden's grandmother told a local news station that this was all a bad dream, a real bad dream, she said. And she said that her daughter and grandchildren would move to Tennessee to stay with her. But this bad dream would soon turn into a nightmare. Fire investigators and sheriff's detectives were trying to figure out what caused the fire. Ascambia County detectives interviewed a witness in the home who was a child. His age isn't clear from the report. The detective wrote,

I then requested that the witness be taken to the Gulf Coast Kids House for a forensic interview. In his interview, the witness stated that he was awoken by the heat of the fire. As he sat up in bed, the witness observed a Jamaican man standing at his doorway who was holding a flamethrower and Molotov cocktail. This witness stated that he then grabbed his pocket knife and called out to John Wollstone Jr. The witness stated that he and Wollstone Jr., the suspect, then chased the Jamaican man from the trailer. The witness stated that when they were chasing the Jamaican man from the trailer, he observed fire to be spreading within the home.

His statement of where he saw the fire was inconsistent with him saying it was in suspect Wollstone Jr.'s room and then changing it to the living room slash kitchen. The witness stated as the fire spread, a neighbor came from her trailer and ran into the fire in an attempt to save the two children still inside. The child witness stated that he followed into the trailer to try and help but was unsuccessful. Now, this story about the Jamaican man sounded a little fishy, and the neighbor, the child reference, spoke to detectives and said the child woke her up banging on her door and told her about the fire. Her name is Jessica Smith, and she is a hero. She tried to save Vaden and Radin.

Detectives wrote, as she exited her trailer, she observed smoke and flames coming from lot 12 and immediately asked the child where Vaden and Raiden were. The child told Witness Jessica Smith that he didn't know where they were, which sent Witness Jessica Smith into a panic. Witness Jessica Smith then ran into the trailer through the front door yelling out to the children but received no response, nor could she see them due to the smoke filling the trailer. Witness Jessica Smith then was forced to exit the trailer momentarily to catch her breath before running back in to try and save Vaden and Raiden. When Witness Jessica Smith entered the trailer,

she described seeing fire near the TV stand and couch area where Vaden was located. Witness Jessica Smith continued into the trailer to the back bedroom. Witness Jessica Smith stated that as she opened the door, smoke poured from the room, and she observed fire on the ground. Witness Jessica Smith did not enter the room

due to the fire and attempted to leave the trailer through the back door. As she opened the door, Jessica Smith was overcome by an intense heat that forced her back down the hallway towards the living room where she was able to escape the trailer through the front door. Detectives said they told Jessica Smith about injuries on the bodies of the children and the story the child witness told them. And Smith told the detectives that they needed to re-interview that boy and get the truth. But then detectives interviewed John Wollstone, Jr., who had been discharged from the hospital. The detectives wrote. Initially, suspect Wollstone Jr. stated that he was woken up by the sound of his front door opening. When he went to investigate, he observed an unknown male standing in his living room. Suspect Wollstone Jr. stated he then chased the individual from the trailer. As this individual was running through the yard, he turned and threw something through suspect Wollstone Jr.'s window that started the fire inside the trailer. Suspect Wollstone Jr. stated that the window this supposed object, was thrown through was the one that the child was sleeping in. Suspect Wollstone Jr. stated that he then

went back into the trailer and helped the child escape the fire but couldn't save the other two kids. I asked suspect Wollstone Jr. approximately how long after he heard the door open did he discover the individual in the trailer to which he answered eight seconds? I asked suspect Wollstone Jr. about how far did the individual make it into the home to which he stated, four feet. So by this account, whoever entered the home was only within there for about eight seconds and only just within the front door. Detective said, Wollstone insisted that someone broke into the trailer and murdered the children. After detectives said John Wollstone admitted to murdering Vaden and Raiden, he was booked into the Escambia County Jail on two counts of premeditated murder, sexual

battery by a person 18 or older on a person younger than 12, arson and animal cruelty. The sheriff posted an update on Facebook. Take a look. Hi, I'm a Schemean County Sheriff Chip Simmons with an update about a fire that took place on November the 7th. Schemean County Sheriff's deputies in Schenby County Fire and Rescue showed up to a fire that happened on Flaxman. After this fire was extinguished, unfortunately we found that there was a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old, both children deceased inside of that traitor. We also found out that there was a male John Henry Watson that had escaped that fire and was being treated at a hospital.

We worked with our medical examiner's office, and what we found, unfortunately, was that the 7-year-old and 9-year-old. These children were not killed because of the fire. One was sexually assaulted and both were killed before the fire started. What Watson had done as assaulted one, he killed them both before saving himself. self is now being charged with premeditated murder and sexual battery. I don't know what else I can say about this terrible event except for please hug your children. So to discuss this absolutely horrific

and I don't think I can underscore that and underline that enough horrific case. I want to bring in Dave Ehrenberg. He is the former state attorney for Palm Beach County on the other side of the state of Florida. Dave, if this case, as the state attorney lands in your lap, what do you do with it? This guy needs to have a needle in his arm. So that's what I would say. I would say this guy deserves to get the death penalty. And this is what the death penalty was made for. And in Florida, it is easier than other states because all you need are eight out of 12 votes of the jury. and you just need one aggravating factor beyond a reasonable doubt. Here, you have multiple.

And in this kind of case, you have very sympathetic victims and a very unsympathetic individual who could conceivably even get the death penalty, not just for the murder, because in Florida, sexual battery on a child also makes you eligible for the death penalty. So this guy is in for a whole lot of hurt, deservedly so. You know, the thing that just absolutely makes me sick about this case, beyond the fact that we have an allegation that not only did he sexually assault one of these children, he murdered both of them, allegedly. That's what he's accused of doing. He kills a dog, allegedly, then sets a fire to cover it all up. And then, according to what we're reading in this probable cause statement, in the arrest report,

unless a child to lie for him about a Jamaican man. You know, it's like that old trope about, oh, the black man. It's like to kill a mockingbird. It's like something out of like, you know, modern day to kill a mockingbird. Like, I mean, like the black man broke into my trailer and had a Molotov cocktail and a flamethrower. I mean, like, it makes me think like, what year is this? Susan Smith, remember when she drove his kids into the,

water. Yes. And she blamed on the black guy who hijacked or carjacked her. And so it just shows the character of this individual, as if things weren't bad enough that he sexually assaulted a child, that he killed a dog, by the way, which shouldn't be forgotten in this. I'm glad you brought it up, Angie. It looks like it was his own dog that he set on fire. Well, that was in the trailer when it was set on fire. But then he decides to try to create division in the community by blaming a Jamaican guy who came in with a machete and it just like I said this this guy is so horrific that the sheriff came out with a Facebook video that said hug your kids that this is he was so shocked he was shell shocked and here's a hardened law enforcement officer who's probably

seen everything but yet in this business things will still sadly surprise you what really bothers me about this well the whole thing bothers me but the fact that you've got a child um who was sent to knock on the neighbor's door, you know, screaming for help. And this neighbor, Jessica Smith, is a hero. She goes running into this trailer, trying to look for these children. Thank God she wasn't seriously injured. She could have been killed running into a trailer. You know how flammable those things are. They, you know, they can go up in flames like that. And she runs in there trying to save these children. But a child was taken in for a forensic interview. And it sounds like he was instructed to lie. We don't know the age of this child. But, you know,

do you think the child maybe came clean eventually? I mean, what's your gut telling you as a prosecutor? Oh, I think he will, if he hasn't done so already, we'll come clean. I mean, to me, it's obvious what's happening here. You've got the defendant who is in a position of authority to them, like someone that apparently they go over to his trailer park. the someone who's a temporary caretaker of these kids someone who was trusted with these kids and he told one of the children to lie to say this is what happened and the child repeated the lie this is what i believe happened and when you lie there's always inconsistencies and in the police report they mentioned the inconsistencies in this child's account of what happened that the child changed the location around of where the fire occurred. First, it occurred in the bedroom,

then it occurred in the living room. And so there are inconsistencies that made it in the police report, not to mention other inconsistencies as they continue to flesh out the story. Their story makes no sense. There's no evidence of any Jamaican person entering this place with a machete. These kids, sadly, were killed beforehand, and there was evidence of sexual assault. And it all points to one person that defended. You know, they're talking about a flamethrower, a Molotov cocktail. And one thing that also, you know, the fire, obviously, they were able to get the fire under control enough to where the injuries on the children, apparently, were still visible.

Whatever those injuries are, they're not disclosing that at this time because that's information that could become very important at trial. That's only information that the murderer would know. like the injuries on the child, but they, they repeatedly referenced the injuries on the child or on the children. And so they talked to this witness, Jessica Smith, about the injuries on the children. And you talk about these inconsistencies. They talk about John Wollstone's inconsistencies in this interview. I'm going to read this one part. Suspect Wollstone Jr. was then confronted with the injuries observed to both victims. He stated he didn't cause the injuries to the children and that

somebody else did suspect wollstone junior was confronted um to his statement that whoever entered his home only did so for eight seconds per his account therefore would not have time to inflict the injuries to the kids nor did suspect walston junior's statement provide any explanation as to how the little girl sustained her injuries with her sleeping on the floor in his bedroom mere feet from him that's another red flag right there why is this little girl on the floor in his bedroom um and then suspect walston junior then attempted to say that he was a heavy sleeper and must have slept through the incident right i then confronted him with how if he was such a heavy sleeper did he wake up to the sound of the front door opening he then changed his story that he was awoken by the

trailer rocking as the individual entered and then asked him that if he was awoken by the movement of the trailer from this supposed individual entering it did he not wake up to the movement of a blank girl being killed next to him he responded because i'm a heavy sleeper he's a heavy sleeper who is sometimes awakened by a rocking trailer and then other times not awakened um his story obviously was a mess right he's a heavy sleeper except when he isn't when it's convenient in the story he's not a heavy sleeper when it's uh and when he needs it he's heavy sleeper and slept through everything and all this stuff took place in eight seconds and it doesn't make any sense we the evidence is what it is they've got this guy uh and it's in that community which is a smallish community over there i know

escambia county the biggest city is Pensacola but you've got a mobile home park and it's just is so horrifying that it's going to generate a lot of interest and this guy is in for a lot of trouble because he is eligible for the death penalty. And I looked at the facts and applied them to the aggravators of the case, Anjanet. And in Florida, you need at least one aggravator to qualify for the death penalty. And there are a number, potential ones. Like, for example, the murder was committed while the defendant was engaged in another felony, like sexual assault, like arson, like felony animal cruelty.

These are all other felonies. And if a murder occurs, well, that makes you eligible. Or how about another one? The defendant was previously convicted of another crime. And generally, I know it sounds weird, but in Florida, you can, if there's a double murder, that will count. So if you have a contemporaneous conviction of murder, that would count. Or convicted of animal cruelty. That would count.

That would count. If you, if that would count. So if the double murder will count against him, if you've been convicted of another murder in the past. And in this case, the conviction of murder would apply twice. And then how about the victim was particularly vulnerable due to age, less than 12 years old? Yes, you have a seven and a nine-year-old here. The murder was especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel. Yes, I'd say so.

The murder was cold, calculated, and premeditated. You can make that argument. He's charged with first-degree premeditated murder. So you have all these aggravators on the table, and that doesn't even get to the sexual assault charge, which could also qualify him for the death penalty. it's really really awful um they then tried this tactic dave they show him pictures of the children of their injuries and they say basically that he has no reaction to these awful photographs showing the injuries again they're not disclosing what injuries these children suffered i can only

imagine these poor kids and he has no reaction they said they leave the room and they they go out of the room and they observe him through the glass and they see him pick up the photos and then all of a sudden he starts crying and so they send two other detectives in and then we see that they say they're claiming he confessed it's all redacted here that's what florida does we're not going to know what he said until trial or until the case is adjudicated but they say at the end that he he made admissions of guilt um so uh if he's made admissions of guilt post miranda his attorneys will try to get that statement suppressed, but they may not be successful. No, the admissions are going to be key. His reaction

is also admissible. Shows conscious of some guilt. They're going to use that against him. That's not a statement. That's just the way he reacted when he saw the photos. And so, yeah, I mean, they've obviously got evidence we don't know about. They have the fire was intended, obviously, to conceal the wounds and the evidence, but it didn't do what it was intended. Kudos to the fire department there in Escambia County. And now they've got this case where you've got the guy who's in the neighborhood, who's the creepy guy in the neighborhood where the kids are staying over his place and all the evidence points to him.

And there is no evidence of a Jamaican man coming out of nowhere with machete who's in there for eight seconds and then somehow sets fire and fires in different locations that confuse him and wakes him up when it's convenient for him to wake up and not wake him up when he's a deep sleeper. This all points in one direction. Yeah, it's just an awful case. and this poor little kids, you know, they had friends who loved them at school. This is just something that's, you know, their family loved them, their mother loved them,

their grandmother loved them. That's horrific. And this is, as you said, it's a community that is going to really be hit hard by this, is being hit hard by this. And we're going to keep an eye on it. This guy is being held without bail. And I don't think that he's going to get bail anytime soon. Dave Arimberg, thank you so much.

Thanks for having me, Ingenit. And John Wollstone, Jr. remains in custody in the Escambia County Jail. He is being held without bail. That's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Janette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.