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North Palm Beach man charged with murder in fatal meth lab explosion

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A 46-year-old North Palm Beach man faces a murder charge after a meth lab exploded at an apartment complex near Palm Beach Gardens in 2015.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said on Dec. 16, 2015, the suspect Gary Nawrocki, 46, was producing methamphetamine when the explosion occurred at an apartment complex located at 2295 Idlewild Rd.

The report says Nawrocki and Kristi Hook, 46, were severely burned in the incident.  Hook later died of her injuries on Dec. 27, 2015 after suffering burns on 60 percent of her body.

Nawrocki had said the burns occurred after a cigarette came into contact with gas while he was working on a motorcycle inside a garage.

Law enforcement said when they investigated where the explosion occurred, there was no motorcycle or garage on the premise.   They later found that meth was being manufactured at the apartment.

Nawrocki was book at the Palm Beach County Jail on Jan. 5, 2017 and also faces a second-degree arson charge in addition to a third-degree murder charge.