Candace Walton Murdered Her Mother and Disabled Brother in a House Fire So She Could Run Away With Her Boyfriend

 

Candace Walton

Candace Walton Set Her Family Home on Fire, Killing Her Mother and Disabled Brother, Then Fled to Start a New Life

On February 27, 2020, 16-year-old Candace Walton deliberately set fire to her family's home in Monroe County, Georgia, killing her mother and older brother.

The victims were Tasha Vandiver, her mother, and Gerald Walton, 21, her brother, who had special needs.

Investigators initially believed Candace had also died in the fire after discovering a body in her bedroom. They later determined it was Gerald.

Candace had already fled.

After setting the fire, she stole her mother's Chevrolet Malibu and took approximately $2,000 from a cashed tax refund check.

Her plan was to drive to Oregon and start a new life with her boyfriend.

Instead, police arrested her during a traffic stop in Paducah, Kentucky, roughly 400 miles from home.

Investigators later uncovered more than 80,000 text and Instagram messages between Candace and her 17-year-old boyfriend, Kaleo Pangelinan, revealing that the two had discussed killing her family so they could be together.

On February 2, 2022, Candace pleaded guilty to malice murder, felony murder, theft by taking, and first-degree arson.

She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, along with a concurrent 10-year sentence for arson.

Pangelinan also pleaded guilty to first-degree arson for encouraging the crime. He received 20 years in state prison.

Tasha Vandiver and Gerald Walton died in a fire deliberately set by someone they loved. Candace wanted a different life with her boyfriend, so she destroyed theirs. And Gerald, a young man with special needs, never even got the chance to escape.

Tasha Vandiver