The Florida State Attorney’s Office announced Friday that it will seek the death penalty against a man who reportedly cut two children’s throats after sexually assaulting one and then setting the home ablaze.
On November 7, a little before 1:00 a.m., Escambia County Fire-Rescue arrived at a trailer home engulfed in flames in the 5900 block of Flaxman Street, about a block from Escambia High School in Pensacola.
Two children and a dog were found dead inside the home.
“Upon arriving on scene, heavy flames and smoke engulfed a single-wide mobile home, with reports of two children inside the home,” a county news release said.
“Due to the severity of the fire, ECFR immediately began firefighting efforts, so firefighters could enter the home. Upon making entry, two children and one dog were found deceased.”
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons stated that the fire was intentionally set by John Henry Walston after he sexually assaulted one child and killed both a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old child.
“Evidence shows that John Henry Walston, Jr., assaulted one of the children before killing them both,” Simmons stated. “He then set the fire before saving himself.”
The Pensacola News Journal reported that, according to the arrest report, Walston had molested the female child “on top of her clothes” a couple of weeks before her murder because the child “considered him her ‘boyfriend.’”
On November 7, the night of the fire, Walston molested the female child again.
“After the kids went to bed, Walston stated he started to drink and began to become depressed,” the report said. “Walston stated that he hated his life and made the decision to kill the kids.”
Walston reportedly went into the living room and stabbed the male child in the neck. He then allegedly slit the little girl’s throat in the bedroom while she slept on the floor.
He then started the fire to kill himself as well but said he “couldn’t go through with it.”
The State Attorney’s Office’s release shows that Walston was indicted by a grand jury and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him:
- Two counts of first-degree homicide
- Sexual Battery on a Child Under 12
- Arson
- Animal Cruelty
Walston’s next scheduled court appearance is set for January 13, 2026.
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[Feature Photo: Escambia County Sheriff’s Office]