Valparaiso Man Charged With Murder, Arson Following Fatal Group Home Fire
A 69-year-old Valparaiso man, Robert Delano Bone, is facing a murder charge along with additional felony counts following a house fire at a group home that left one resident dead.
According to court records and the probable cause affidavit, officers were dispatched at approximately 3:05 a.m. on October 31, 2025, to a report of a house fire with people trapped inside at a residence in Valparaiso. Upon arrival, officers observed that approximately half of the house was fully engulfed in flames, and multiple people outside the home advised that others were still inside the burning structure.
An officer entered the residence and located a female in the foyer area, escorting her outside to safety. The officer then made several announcements inside the home and heard a male yelling for help from another room. The officer located the male and began dragging him toward the front door. While being pulled from the residence, the male advised there was a third person upstairs. Due to the intensity of the fire and flames, the officer was unable to reach the upstairs area.
Firefighters later located Billy Bishop unconscious at the top of the stairs. Bishop was removed from the residence and airlifted to a hospital in Chicago, where he later died. An autopsy later determined Bishop died as a result of thermal injuries and complications related to those injuries, according to court records.
Investigators determined the residence was a group home occupied by seven residents, including Bone and Bishop, along with the homeowner and caregiver. Several occupants were transported to area hospitals for treatment following the fire.
According to the affidavit, investigators with the Indiana Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire originated in Bone’s bedroom. The homeowner later told investigators she had been awakened by a phone call shortly before 3 a.m. due to another disabled resident needing assistance. While walking through the home, she observed an orange glow coming from Bone’s bedroom. When she entered the bedroom, she observed Bone awake and staring at burning diapers on the floor in front of him. She helped Bone out of the room. The affidavit states the burning diapers ignited the curtains, causing the fire to spread throughout the residence.
Investigators later conducted multiple recorded interviews with Bone. In an initial statement, Bone said the fire may have started in the kitchen. After being informed the fire was determined to have originated in his bedroom, Bone stated he remembered something catching fire in a trash can from a cigarette. He said they attempted to put the fire out but he may have spread it instead.
In a later recorded interview, Bone stated the fire likely started with his cigarette and admitted he was not supposed to be smoking inside the house. Investigators advised him attempts to ignite a diaper with a cigarette were unsuccessful. Bone then stated he lit a diaper on fire with a lighter, believing at the time it was in the kitchen. He stated the diaper came from a pack located in the second drawer of his bedroom dresser and that the fire “got out of hand” within minutes.
Bone later stated he was not attempting suicide and admitted he was not thinking clearly at the time, according to the affidavit.
Lodged in the Porter County Jail on January 9,2026.
Charges filed December 23,2025:
• Murder
• Arson – Level 4 Felony
• Reckless Homicide – Level 5 Felony
