LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — Thomas Purdy stands quietly at a memorial filled with balloons, stuffed animals, precious photographs and candles honoring his life partner, 31-year-old Kathleen Payton, and her 10-year-old daughter, Jazmine Payton-Aguayo.
He said they were his world. Purdy said he beamed with joy when Jazmine expressed love and respect for him as a father figure.
“It went from Daddy Thomas to (just calling him) Daddy,” he said of his relationship with the girl.
Suspects wanted on arson, homicide
Payton and her daughter were killed in a fire that raged early on Halloween at the Tiffany Square apartments in Lakewood. Police are searching for two juvenile suspects they say intentionally set the fire. The investigation has elevated from arson to homicide.
Purdy said he will always regret not being home to protect his family.
“I was supposed to be here to either try to help them, us, get out or die with them, and that’s our pact rule,” he said.
Payton’s aunt, Janelle Camacho, said, “She wasn’t just my niece, but she was my best friend.”
Both Purdy and Camacho told FOX31 that the thought of two juveniles setting the fire that also displaced 32 families from 14 units is unbearable.
“They didn’t think about themselves, they didn’t think about their future, they didn’t think about their family,” Purdy said.
Camacho is calling for justice for all who were affected.
“I feel the parents should be held accountable as well as the children, because at that hour of the morning, 4 o’clock in the morning, and these kids are out here starting a fire?” she said.
Memories kept close to the heart
Purdy still wears a small whistle around his neck, used to keep Jazmine safe from a distance.
“I blew it once, that means it’s too far. I blew it twice, (that) means come back,” he said.
Purdy will keep it close to his heart forever along with the memory of his family.
Lakewood Police say arrest warrants have been issued for two suspects. Their names are not being released because they are juveniles. Both could face first-degree murder and first-degree arson charges.