Warrants: Raleigh homicide suspect seen buying jug of gas before house burned

Curtis Levon Jackson, 28, of 308 Northwood Drive, is charged with murder in the April 1 death of Curtis Lamont Mitchell.

Mitchell, 32, of Raleigh, was found dead inside a house at 2801 Poole Road after firefighters extinguished a blaze there. Authorities haven't said how he died.

He was last seen about five hours earlier, leaving his home after telling someone on his cellphone that he was "on his way," according to warrants to search Jackson's home, car and phone. Investigators determined that Mitchell was talking to Jackson and that the men swapped text messages later that night, warrants state.

At 4:55 a.m., a security camera showed a man believed to be Jackson buying a gallon of gas in a plastic jug from a Valero station on New Bern Avenue, the warrants state. The fire at the Poole Road house was reported about a half-hour later. Investigators recovered a plastic jug from the scene of the fire.

Mitchell's debit card was used three times to withdraw $700 on April 1, but none of the money was found with his body, according to the warrants. Jackson unexpectedly visited his girlfriend that day and gave her $200 cash, the warrants state.