Investigators allege the men, as part of the Pierson Hood gang, set the fire to the building to flush out a rival gang member.
There was one witness today: a Flint police sergeant who is also a member of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.
He testified to the mother and daughter's cause and manner of death. It was the same cause and manner of death for both mother and daughter.
"Kokona Vaughn died of smoke inhalation," said Sgt. Shawn Ellis about the death of Kokona Vaughn, 25.
"The manner of death is homicide for miss Burress," Ellis said, referring to the death of 7-year-old Zeona Burress.
The two were trapped on the third floor inside their Westwood Manor apartment.
Four men - Sam Wood, Garner Wood, Deandre Chambers and Robert Pendleton - are charged.
Investigators say the fire was intentionally set to flush out rival gang member Gregory Baines so they could kill him. He wasn't there, but he was killed, along with Curtis Wade Jr., less than 24 hours later at Flint's Club Xclusive.
Prosecutors have charged these four and a number of others as part of the Pierson Hood gang investigation. The Vaughn and Burress killings are just two of the 12 homicides tied to it.
A jury found Richard Wallace not guilty on all charges connected to the July 2005 shooting death of Cody Harden. Wallace's was the first murder case to go to trial.
Today's hearing was the start of the preliminary exam for the four men in this case and will eventually determine if they go to trial.
The hearing was adjourned until next month.
