La Plata, MD — A Waldorf man who set his girlfriend’s townhouse on fire was convicted by a Charles County Circuit Court Jury Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Timothy Darrell Henson, 56 of Waldorf, will face sentencing before Judge Helen J. Harrington Dec. 8 for First-Degree Arson, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison or a fine not exceeding $50,000, or both.
Henson was on trial for an Oct. 20, 2013 incident in which he poured gasoline on the floor of his girlfriend’s townhouse at 1752 Brightwell Court in Waldorf and set it on fire.
Officer Paul Morgan of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office testified that he was called to that address that night to investigate a domestic violence call. He said he arrived on the scene to find multiple women with children standing outside the residence.
Morgan testified he went up to the front door of the home—a townhouse in the center of two other units, which he found to be locked. Looking through the door window, he discovered a long streak of fluid strewn on the floor from the kitchen to the front door. He testified that he saw the defendant standing in the kitchen.
“I saw fire in his hand,” Morgan said. “He dropped it on the floor and the fire came toward me.”
Morgan quickly called dispatch to alert them of the fire as other deputies arrived on the scene. He sent them to evacuate the neighboring residences while he went around behind the unit where he encountered “the same black male” walking from the fence and reeking of gasoline.
Henson was detained and placed in the back of the officer’s cruiser and advised of his rights which he claimed not to understand. Morgan said he then turned on the camera which is in the backseat.
Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeremy Widder entered as evidence a copy of the surveillance video showing the defendant in an inebriated state, yelling and cursing as firefighters extinguished the fire.
Henson is heard yelling, “burn that bitch down. You gonna —- with me? I told that b—- time and time again, don’t —- with me,” and “I’m getting my revenge. I’m getting my satisfaction.”
Deputy State Fire Marshal Matthew Stevens testified that he is also a member of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department and responded to the fire and talked to Henson and attempted once more to read him his Miranda rights.
“He was cussing out what I later determined to be his girlfriend,” Stevens said. “He told me he had gotten the kids out of the house because there was going to be some f—– up s—.”
Stevens also testified that Henson exuded a strong smell of gasoline.
Deputy State Fire Marshall Caryn McMahon testified that she determined two points of origin for the fire, which did minimal damage in large part to the response of Officer Morgan and the Waldorf VFD. She also established that the fire was intentionally set.
McMahon stated she interviewed the defendant at the detention center and once again read him his Miranda rights. Again, she noted the strong smell of gasoline on his person and at one point asked if he had been drinking, telling the court she was “curious about his behavior.
“I asked Mr. Henson if he started the fire,” she testified. “He said he was getting gas for a friend and slipped and gas got on the floor, and the cigarette he was smoking fell on the gas and started the fire.”
McMahon then testified upon questioning by Widder that a cigarette cannot ignite gasoline.
“You can drop a cigarette into a can of gasoline a hundred times,” she said. “An open flame is the only thing that would have ignited the gas.”
She also stated that at first Henson said he was smoking a cigarette when the incident occurred and later told her he didn’t smoke.
In closing arguments, Widder told the jury “it is the clearest case of First-Degree Arson you will ever see.”
Public Defender John Getz argued that Henson’s actions were those of a man in a drunken rage who didn’t understand what he was doing.
He also quipped, “I don’t know why if a cigarette won’t ignite gasoline, why do they have no smoking signs at the gas pumps?”
The jury returned its guilty verdict in about thirty-five minutes.
Herrington said Henson was to undergo psychiatric evaluation before his pre-sentencing investigation Dec. 1, to precede his sentencing by a week.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com