Man allegedly sets house explosion to cover up child's murder

An Arkansas man was burned by his own wicked plan.

Ricky Carter has been charged with first degree murder and arson in connection with the death of a 2-year-old child, Arkansas State Police confirmed in a statement posted on their Facebook page.

The 27-year-old was arrested one day after the Paris Police Department responded to a call reporting an explosion. Officers arrived on the scene, where they spotted a home on fire.

One of the responding officers entered the burning dwelling and helped Carter carry four children to safety, police said in the press release.

Three of the four children and Carter were uninjured in the incident. The toddler, later identified as Ryatt Reese, was transported to a local hospital,NWA Homepagereports.

Doctors pronounced him dead shortly thereafter.

The outletreported that Carter initially claimed he wasn't responsible for the gas explosion that sparked the fire that claimed Reese's life. However, he later changed his story.

According to court documents obtained by the publication, the toddler came into Carter's room twice in the middle of the night on Dec. 21.

The second time the child came into Carter's room he vomited, which led to Carter grabbing the child by the ankles and lifting him up.

Somehow the child fell and landed on his head, causing him to begin shaking, NWA Homepage reported.

Carter claimed he attempted CPR on the child for quite some time.

After having no luck reviving the child, Carter put the child on the bed, turned on the gas in the rear of the home and waited 45 minutes.

He then ignited a lighter, which caused the explosion.

Carter allegedly told police this was a deliberate attempt to cover up the death of the child.

Arkansas State Police did not respond to the Daily News' request for comment.