- A US man from Fort Wayne faces felony charges for cutting off his genitals and committing arson
- Christopher Peden initially claimed to be a stabbing victim but later admitted to self-harm and arson
- The incident occurred on May 6 at a detached garage fire reported by a neighbour
A US man is facing a felony charge after he allegedly cut off his genitals and used them to commit arson. The accused has been identified as 36-year-old Christopher Peden, a Fort Wayne, Indiana resident who initially claimed to be a stabbing victim. The incident took place on May 6 when the Fort Wayne Fire Department investigated a fire at a detached garage. At the same time, the police were responding to a reported stabbing, according to a probable cause affidavit accessed by Fox 10 News.
The garage owners stated that they were woken by a neighbour who alerted them to the fire. The owners noticed a family member, Peden, was missing. Meanwhile, the police officers came across the stabbing victim, who turned out to be Peden.
Quizzed about his condition while being escorted to the hospital, Peden initially misled the police by claiming that he was stabbed somewhere in downtown Fort Wayne and that someone had threatened him the day before.
As per the court documents, while at the hospital, Peden confessed to the investigators that he was 'dishonest' about his initial statement regarding the stabbing and "wanted to be truthful".
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'Set It On Fire'
Peden revealed that around 2 am local time, he went into the garage and “harmed himself” by “cutting off his penis” with a kitchen knife.
Afterwards, Peden told investigators that he poured gasoline on it and “set it on fire on the floor of the garage just inside the door.” He walked away until he encountered the police.
Court documents showed that the police officers collected evidence from the garage, including a red plastic gas container, four lighters and a kitchen knife.
Peden has been charged with arson, a Level 4 felony. A hearing is scheduled for next week, according to court records.
