New details following fatal house fire Monday

TYLER — The arrest documents of a convicted murder who was charged on Monday in connection to a fatal house fire, allege that he threw gasoline on who he claimed to be his girlfriend, the day he was supposed to be evicted and less than 20 minutes later drove himself to the Smith County Jail. According to our news partner KETK, the Tyler Fire Department and police responded to the Shady Trail around 3:40 after someone in the neighborhood called about the fire.

Gregory Bargaineer, 67, went to the Smith County Jail around 3:55 a.m. “to turn himself in for throwing gasoline on his girlfriend.” Bargaineer’s alleged girlfriend was later identified as Marilyn Mceachin and her body was found on the floor near the remnants of a bed after the fire department put out the flames, the affidavit said.

Tyler PD detained Bargaineer and took him in for questioning where he made several claims. Later, investigators found discrepancies with his statements such as the victim threw gas on him.

Bargaineer told investigators that Mceachin had served him an eviction notice the week prior and had to leave the residence by Nov. 18.

Mceachin filed an eviction report at the Tyler Police Department on Thursday and told an officer that she was evicting Bargaineer after stalking her all over the city.

“She said Bargaineer told her that if he was evicted he would end up back in prison but did not elaborate to why he would be back in prison. Mceachin wanted this documented,” the arrest documents said.

During the interview, Bargaineer continually denied that he had done anything to cause Mceachin’s death. According to the affidavit, he said he had done many things in his life that he admitted to but would not admit to anything with Mceachin.

“Bargaineer stated that he spent 26 years in prison but did not elaborate on this conviction,” his affidavit said. “A criminal history search showed that Bargaineer was convicted of first degree murder in Florida in 1981.”

Fire investigators found that the location of and position of Mceachin’s body “was not indicative of someone who had been alive when the fire started.”

Bargaineer was charged with murder and is being held at the Smith County Jail on a $750,000 bond.