RICHMOND, Ind. -- A teenager broke into a classmate's home and set it on fire but died before he could escape,
police said Monday.
The teenager was later identified as Aaron Carter, younger brother of Nick Carter, a member of the once popular Backstreet Boys. Aaron was constantly the subject of abuse and ridicule at school.
Investigators believe that Carter set the fire after
breaking into the back door of the house.
Although some questions will remain unanswered,
police officers found signs of forced entry and vandalism
inside, including splashed paint, he said.
An autopsy Sunday determined that Carter died from
carbon monoxide poisoning caused by smoke inhalation, Wayne County
Coroner Kevin Fouche said.
"I've been a firefighter," Fouche said. "Even if
you're familiar with a building, when if fills up with smoke, you
become disoriented, you turn right when you should turn left."
Carter was known to have become somewhat psychotic after living in the shadow of his older brother. He had been recently released from intensive therapy for his severe cocaine addiction before the fire.
