The true story behind the Ari Squire case on Accident, Suicide, or Murder

In the suburb of Lake Barrington, Illinois on February 23, 2008, Denise Squire called 911 to report a fire in her home's attached garage. Firefighters arrived to find a pickup truck collapsed on a badly burned body, pinned beneath its weight, with flames still raging.

The wallet and identification in the victim's pocket pointed to Ari Squire, the 39 year old homeowner and construction business owner, suggesting a freak accident: the truck had slipped off a jack while he worked underneath it, crushing him and igniting a fire from spilled fuel. 

Ari's wife, an adjunct professor, waited outside, appearing distraught as neighbors gathered in shock. Initial reports described it as an unimaginable mishap, one in a billion odds. But within days, doubts emerged, dental records didn't match, tattoos were absent and a young man's mother reported her son, Justin Newman, missing after he visited the Squire home for a job interview. 

Viewers can watch the full investigation on Oxygen True Crime's Accident, Suicide, or Murder, Season 6, Episode 6, titled Deadly Double, airing Saturday, December 27, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET/PT with an encore at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

Accident, Suicide or Murder: The garage fire and initial response

The incident began around 9 a.m. on February 23, 2008, when Denise Squire dialed emergency services from her Lake Barrington residence, her voice steady but urgent as she described smoke billowing from the garage. Responders from the Lake Barrington Fire Protection District forced entry through a side door and encountered thick black smoke.

Inside, they discovered Ari Squire's white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on its side, its axle broken, resting atop a charred human form. The body, dressed in Ari's work clothes, held his wallet, keys and credit cards. 

A car jack lay nearby and fuel accelerant traces suggested the truck had fallen while Ari Squire performed maintenance, sparking the blaze that reached temperatures over 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Coroner Richard Keller of Lake County pronounced the victim dead at the scene, attributing the cause to blunt force trauma to the chest and thermal burns, according to NBC News.

Fire investigators initially classified it as accidental, noting no signs of forced entry or struggle. Denise, Ari's wife of several years, provided a brief statement, mentioning her husband had been working on the vehicle alone after breakfast. She waited in the driveway as crews extinguished the flames, which damaged part of the home but spared the main structure.

Neighbors, including Claudia Kavc next door, expressed disbelief at the rarity of such an event, a vehicle collapse combined with fire. Public condolences poured in, with local media covering the story as a heartbreaking workplace mishap.

Ari, known in the community for his diesel truck racing hobby and construction firm, left behind a wife and no children. The body was prepared for release but standard protocols delayed cremation pending full identification, as per NBC News. 

Emerging discrepancies in identification

As preparations for Ari Squire's memorial advanced, inconsistencies began to surface, prompting a deeper probe by Lake County Sheriff's Office detectives. Dental records submitted by Denise did not align with the victim's teeth, which showed no fillings or bridges typical of Ari's mouth.

The body's build appeared slimmer and younger, lacking Ari's healed arm fracture from a prior accident and his single tattoo, a tribal design on his shoulder. Coroner Keller noted these anomalies during autopsy, delaying positive ID, as reported by NBC News. 

Meanwhile, 20 year old Justin Newman from nearby Arlington Heights failed to return home after promising his mother, Donna FioRito, he would pick her up from work. Justin, a Home Depot cashier supporting his single mother had mentioned an interview that morning with Ari Squire for a $15 per hour construction role, his first big break.

A text from his phone arrived the next day: "I'm in Missouri. "Call ya next week," he said, utilizing the strange acronym "M.O." that Justin had never used. Timelines were cross-checked by detectives: Justin's phone pinged close to the Squire residence, but his car stayed at home.

Suspicion grew when Denise received emails from an address resembling Ari's, inquiring about his "ashes" and memorial plans, to which she replied casually, as if corresponding with the living. One message asked, "When will my ashes be returned to you?" A detail only someone alive could pose.

Newman's half-brother, Frank Testa, filed a missing person report, describing Justin as reliable and family-oriented. Investigators revisited the fire scene, finding a propane torch left on and cardboard placed under the body, hinting at arson. No power ran to the garage, ruling out accidental electrical faults, as per NBC News. 

Financial pressures and the deceptive plan

Ari Squire's scheme stemmed from mounting debts and legal woes that had eroded his once-stable life. In December 2007, he had pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud, admitting his firm, Main Beam Construction, billed over $2.3 million for unnecessary services from 1998 to 2001.

Sentenced to probation and house arrest, Ari Squire owed $200,000 in restitution plus a $126,000 civil settlement, while his business faltered amid the housing market slump. A $5 million life insurance policy, with premiums set to quadruple to $12,000 annually, loomed as his escape, naming Denise as sole beneficiary. 

To execute the fraud, Ari Squire needed a body double: someone resembling his 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame to pass as him in the staged fire. He first targeted Sandy Lively, a Home Depot carpenter and diesel enthusiast he met through truck circles, offering double pay for off-books work, as per NBC News.

Lively, suspicious of probing questions about his eye color, tattoos, and bank details, delayed a meeting and overslept on the appointed day, unwittingly sparing his life. Ari pivoted to Justin Newman, a recent Home Depot hire who shared similar features: brown hair, blue eyes, and a clean-shaven youthfulness. 

Emails and calls lured Justin to the Squire home under the pretense of a lucrative job starting immediately. Ari's business partner later revealed whispers of a "new life" plan, involving $1 million to a friend and relocation funds.

The plot blended identity theft, Ari Squire swapped clothes and IDs post-murder, with arson to destroy evidence. Denise, aware of finances, had signed the policy but claimed ignorance, according to NBC News.

The manhunt, suicide, and legal aftermath

Eight days after the fire, on March 2, 2008, Eureka, Missouri, police ran a routine plate check on a parked sedan outside a Days Inn, tracing it to Newman's vehicle, driven south by Ari, who had dyed his hair brown, donned blue contacts, and grown a beard to mimic his victim.

Officers knocked on Room 133; no answer. Entering, they found Ari Squire dead from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, beside a note and Newman's prepaid card used for check-in. Fingerprints confirmed his identity, closing the manhunt Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran called stranger than fiction, according to the LA Times.

DNA results, released March 4, verified the garage body as Justin Newman's, killed by crushing before burning, murder, not accident. Ari's emails to Denise, detailing a new life, implicated her knowledge, though she passed a polygraph and faced no charges.

The insurance claim stalled under a suicide clause, denying the $5 million. Newman's family, led by Donna FioRito, pursued civil justice. In February 2010, a jury awarded them damages in a wrongful death suit against the Squires, ruling that Denise was aware of the plot despite Ari's death.

She settled privately, maintaining innocence through her attorney, as reported by the LA Times. The case exposed vulnerabilities in identity verification and fraud schemes, leaving communities to reflect on trust and hidden motives.

Catch Season 6, episode 6 of Accident, Suicide, or Murder, airing on 27 December 2025 on Oxygen.