A Lawrence man faces charges of murder and arson in connection to the deaths of his ex-girlfriend and infant daughter. 22-year-old Joshwa Carlisle is being charged with the deaths of his ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Tracie Shannon, and her nine-month-old daughter, Juliana Shannon. Court documents show that Shannon had recently taken him to court over child support payments.

At around 6:30pm a neighbor reported the screaming baby, knocked on the door, realized that the apartment was on fire, and called 911. Investigators believe Carlisle smothered Tracie Shannon, then set the room on fire. The Marion County coroner reported that Juliana died of smoke inhalation, and was burned while she was still alive. The burns observed on the infant girl’s face and chest were in a zig-zag pattern that appear to be consistent with the accelerant sprayed on her. Police state that Carlisle had a key to Shannon’s apartment that Shannon was expecting him.

A series of emails revealed that Tracie Shannon and Carlisle had discussed leaving his wife and moving in with Shannon, but Carlisle was reluctant to leave his wife, even though Shannon had told him she was pregant. The report also reveals that Carlisle inquired about getting life insurance on Tracie and Juliana right before their deaths.

Shannon told Carlisle that she was pregnant, but Carlisle appeared reluctant to leave his wife. The report states that Carlisle inquired about getting life insurance on Tracie and Juliana Shannon in an email just before their deaths.

The report also reveals an exchange of text messages between Carlisle and his wife, including one that said,”They don’t have to say anything this does not feel right don’t say anything,” and another that said, “Jusr [Just] do it so we can be ruled out.” A gap in text messages between 5:21pm and 12:56am reported by police, Carlisle’s wife explained was due to her cell phone battery going dead. The fire was reported around 6:37 pm that evening.

A waitress at a local restaurant identified Carlisle and his wife as customers who ordered dinner that night. She stated that the couple seemed to be arguing

Carlisle’s wife said her husband was not having an affair and his job was stable. According to police, the probable cause of the murder is that although Carlisle was making an effort to see his daughter on a regular basis, he was upset about having to pay child support. On the day of the fire he left National Guard training and went to see his daughter.

According to police reports Joshwa Carlisle had no reaction when the police explained what had occurred, nor did he ask police why he was being questioned. However, when he was asked to identify Juliana’s body at the coroner’s office, he started to sob and apologize.

Carlisle is being charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson.