Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Ex-Girlfriend Accuses 50 Cent Of Setting Home Ablaze
A $2.4 million Long Island home belonging to 50 Cent [ tickets ] burned to the ground May 30 and the rapper's ex-girlfriend, who was living in the house with their son, accused the entertainer of setting the blaze, according to the New York Daily News . The woman, Shaniqua Tompkins and two of her children, including 50's 10-year-old son, Marquise, were among the six people who escaped the early morning fire.Tompkins reportedly claimed the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, tried to kill her and Jackson's son. She alleged that Jackson threatened her just days before the blaze during a deposition in her lawyer's office.Tompkins has filed a Manhattan Supreme Court suit claiming she's entitled to half of Jackson's fortune and the Dix Hills house that is now in ruins. Jackson, the registered owner of the two-story house, reportedly has been trying to get Tompkins evicted. However, a judge stayed the eviction until the facts could be litigated.Dix Hills Fire Chief Larry Feld called the blaze "highly suspicious," citing the intensity and "sheer volume of the fire," according to the Daily News. Arson investigators were seen taking away a 5-gallon gas container found on the edge of the property but no arrests have been made.Jackson, who was filming a movie in Louisiana at the time of the fire, release a statement saying he "is extremely thankful that everyone including his son, Marquise, escaped the burning house safely."Authorities reportedly said Tompkins, her two children, her boyfriend's two children and a nanny were treated for smoke inhalation at Huntington Hospital and later released.Tompkins' attorney confirmed the conflict between 50's camp and Tompkins, saying his office was trashed earlier in the week when Tompkins' boyfriend and two other people got into a fight with Jackson's bodyguard. The brawl reportedly spilled onto Broadway where TMZ.com's video cameras caught 50 Cent and Tompkins screaming at each other.