Man’s Body Found in Charred Apartment

A 33-year-old Boyle Heights man who had threatened to kill his mother and “take out” his neighbors set fire to the bedroom in his apartment, and then shot himself in the head early Monday, authorities said.

Dwight Manning’s badly burned body was found at dawn in the charred bedroom, which was crammed with old rock ‘n’ roll records and tapes, paramilitary garb and weapons manuals.

“There was a bullet wound in his head and a gun was found near the body,” said Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigator John Little.

Although neighbors reported being awakened by a powerful blast that rattled windows in the area about 2:45 a.m., Little said “there was no indication of a bomb or an incendiary device.”

Instead, Little speculated that the explosion could have been caused by a back draft of air that ignited when flames engulfed objects in the room, such as furniture and books.

Manning’s mother, Brigitta Manning, 65, blamed the apparent suicide on problems her son was having finding work.

“He couldn’t get a job,” she said. “Nobody wanted him.”

Neighbors, however, described the tall, lanky man as a short-tempered, emotionally unstable recluse who occasionally emerged from his room--dressed in combat fatigues, black boots and a beret--to swear at them or deliver hand-written death threats on their doorstep.