Tennessee man kills woman before setting fire to church with woman inside, saying he wanted to “get God's water”

An arrest has been made in connection with a fire that broke out in a church in Athens, Tennessee. Police believe the suspect killed a woman inside the church before setting the fire.

A police report obtained by WZTV states that Kyle Jay Hickox was seen on surveillance footage in the area several times before and after the historic church was burned to the ground earlier this month.

According to the report, the victim found dead in the church, Linda Buchanan, did not die from the fire but was killed by another person before the fire broke out.

Hickox was taken into custody Friday and charged with first-degree murder. Additional charges are pending.

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Kyle Jay Hickox was charged with first-degree murder. (McMinn County Sheriff's Office)

Surveillance videos allegedly show Hickox running across the grounds of the nearby Athens YMCA and then onto the grounds of Tennessee Wesleyan University on August 15.

He entered a maintenance building at the college, where a worker asked him to leave the building. Hickox, the report said, responded that he would “get God's water” before leaving the building.

The maintenance worker told investigators he then observed Hickox running toward St. Mark AME Zion Church and entering through the back door.

The victim found dead in the church, Linda Buchanan, did not die from the fire but was killed by another person before the fire broke out, police said. (Getty Images)

About ten minutes later, Hickox was allegedly seen in the footage running across the YMCA grounds toward the college's football field.

The suspect then took off his shirt and wrapped it around one hand. Surveillance footage shows him spraying his body with a hose.

Two days later, police executed a search warrant on Hickox's home in Athens and found clothing he was believed to be wearing when the church was set on fire.

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Hickox told a maintenance worker he was going to “get God’s water.” (iStock)

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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab determined that the blood on Hickox's left shoe matched Buchanan's blood.

Hickox was taken to the McMinn County Jail but has since been released.