Linden man found guilty of killing sister, niece in act of arson

A Linden man who deliberately set fire to his family’s home, killing his sister and niece in a horrifying blaze, has been found guilty following the presentation of chilling evidence, eyewitness accounts, and a detailed confession to investigators.
Uhalisi Moore, formerly of Lot 112 Silvertown Second Street, Wismar, Linden, was convicted for the August 2023 double homicide that claimed the lives of his sister, Cheryl Moore, and his niece, Eukeila Adams.
The matter was prosecuted by State Counsels Christopher Belfield, Simran Gajraj, and Geneva Wills, who detailed the sequence of events that unfolded on the tragic night.
At the time of the incident, Moore resided in the Silvertown home with several relatives, including the two victims.
According to testimony presented in court, around 22:00h. on August 14, 2023, Phillip Moore, the father of Eukeila and brother of Cheryl, was awakened by an unusual noise and the strong smell of kerosene.

When Phillip left his bedroom to investigate, he saw Uhalisi standing in the house, wielding a cutlass. The convict reportedly swung the weapon toward Phillip, forcing him to retreat to safety. Moments later, he felt heat rising through the wooden floor.
When Phillip opened his door again, flames were already visible inside the building. He struck at Uhalisi before rushing to help the others escape. Family members fled the burning structure by leaping from the veranda, but Cheryl and Eukeila were unable to get out in time.
The blaze consumed the house within minutes. By the time firefighters arrived around 00:30h, the two-storey wooden home had been completely destroyed. Fire officials managed to extinguish the flames and later recovered the bodies of Cheryl and Eukeila from the debris.
Their remains were taken to the Linden Hospital Complex, where investigators confirmed that the fire had been maliciously set.
The following day, August 15, 2023, during a video-recorded interview at the Wismar Police Station, Uhalisi admitted to deliberately starting the fire.
He told investigators that he had not eaten for two days and felt ignored by family members living in the house. He said that “something started rising up in his head” and told him to act.

In his statement, he confessed to throwing a bottle containing kerosene or gasoline onto chairs located on the lower flat of the home before setting it alight.
A post-mortem examination, conducted on August 16, 2023, by pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, determined that both Cheryl Moore and Eukeila Adams died as a result of severe burns. The examination also revealed the presence of soot in the victims’ bronchial passages, confirming that they were alive when the fire began.
The case was heard before Chief Justice (ag) Navindra Singh, who presided over the proceedings that outlined the tragic details of the case.
Investigators described the crime as a devastating act of violence rooted in anger, frustration, and neglect, leading to one of the most shocking family tragedies to occur in Linden in recent years.