Doctor Arrested For Arson Deaths Of Her Children Two Of Her Three Children Died In Blaze That Destroyed Their Kansas Home

A doctor who escaped a fire that destroyed her family’s $400,000 home a month ago has been arrested and charged with arson and murder in the deaths of two of her children, who did not escape.

Dr. Debora Green was arrested Wednesday at a Kansas City, Mo., theater where she had taken her surviving daughter, a ballerina, to practice for her starring role in “The Nutcracker.”

Ms. Green, 44, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson in the Oct. 24 fire that killed her son Tim Farrar, 13, and daughter Kelly Farrar, 6.

She also was charged with two counts of attempted murder. District Attorney Paul Morrison said one of those charges stemmed from the fire and the second was related to a poisoning attempt. He would not elaborate.

Ms. Green’s estranged husband, Michael Farrar, had been hospitalized three times with an unexplained illness a few weeks before the fire. He is also a doctor.

Asked about a motive for the fire, which destroyed the six-bedroom Tudor-style home in the Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village, Morrison said: “It’s a domestic situation, and that’s where I’m going to leave it.”

He said it is too early to speculate on whether he will seek the death penalty. Ms. Green was being held Thursday under $3 million bond.

Ms. Green’s lawyer, former district attorney Dennis Moore, said his client professed her innocence and was grieving for her children.

She is an oncologist, or cancer specialist, who has stayed home to care for her children in recent years. Her husband is a cardiologist.

The parents were separated at the time of the fatal fire. Farrar filed for divorce the day afterward and sought custody of 10-year-old Kate, who had escaped by climbing to the garage roof and jumping to safety.

Kate has been rehearsing the role of Clara, the heroine of “The Nutcracker,” in the State Ballet of Missouri’s holiday production. Had she lived, 6-year-old Kelly was to have played an angel.

Investigators quickly ruled that the fire was arson. Flammable liquid was poured in several areas of the house.

The investigation included a closer look at an unexplained fire about 16 months earlier that heavily damaged the family’s previous home, as well as the mysterious illness of Farrar weeks before the deadly blaze.