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The Seal Beach Police Department has named a suspect in a cold case arson homicide.
On Saturday, April 30, 2016, at around midnight, the Seal Beach Police Department responded to a call of a residential structure fire at 211 17th Street #A, Seal Beach. When officers arrived, they discovered that the residence was completely engulfed in flames. The Orange County Fire Authority worked to quickly extinguish the fire.
Unfortunately, the male resident, identified as Mr. John Donnelly, was found deceased in the apartment. It was determined that he died as a result of the fire. Orange County Fire Authority Investigators determined that the fire had been started intentionally as an accelerant was found outside the apartment’s stairwell. Seal Beach Police Detectives and OCFA Arson Investigators worked closely to investigate this incident.
Investigators identified a suspect in this case. The individual was identified as William Pratt. Pratt was a homeless individual known to frequent Seal Beach. On August 7, 2020, Pratt was killed by another inmate while serving a prison sentence unrelated to this incident.
Based on the information developed during the investigation, and the fact that William Pratt is now deceased, the Seal Beach Police Department has closed this case.
