A McKinney family who lived next door to a man who allegedly blew up his home last week is now calling an Allen hotel home.
Investigators say Tab Brewer, a father of five, was distraught over his divorce when he doused his house in gasoline and then shot himself, sparking a massive explosion.
The blast blew out the windows and blew off the roof of his next-door neighbors, James and Sara Jones.
”Having my own child, I don't understand how people do that to their children, put them through something like that," Sara Jones said. “But I wasn't inside that house, so I don't know what was going on.”
The couple and their 3-year-old daughter have traded in their damaged 2,300-square-foot home on Lewis Canyon Lane for a room at a Homewood Suites.
“Everybody keeps saying, 'You are in such good spirits,' or, 'You handle it really well,'” Sara Jones said. “But I think I hide it really well.”
The explosion destroyed almost all of the Jones' belongings, including irreplaceable scrapbooks and family photos.
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“I’ve had the full range of emotions, and angry is definitely one of them,” James Jones said.
But the generosity he and has wife have seen from friends, family and even complete strangers has tempered his anger. The family has received dozens of toys, stuffed animals and bags of clothes for daughter, Emma.
“It was just unreal to see what people would do for you when you are going through something so awful,” Sara Jones said.
The Jones said they are optimistic about their future and share that same hope for the family Brewer left behind.
“If anything, I hope his wife and children can find peace out of this situation," Sara Jones said.
