A West Virginia man was charged Friday with the murders of his fiancee and her mother and setting fire to his own house to hide the crime.
Joshua Russell Morrow, 42, took his 15-month-old daughter from the home, dropped the baby off at a friend’s, and then went on the run, WCHS reported.
An Amber Alert was issued for a baby when neighbors saw Morrow leaving a home in Wayne County. They were concerned as they did not know where the child was. Thankfully, the baby was found about an hour later, and the Amber Alert was called off.
During the investigation, authorities discovered the bodies of Britney Brown, 34, and her mother, Erma Brown, 57, in Morrow’s burnt home. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that both women had multiple stab wounds on their torsos. The state Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed these findings.
Britney Brown was the baby’s mother.
According to a criminal complaint, Morrow was captured on a neighbor’s surveillance camera entering the home around 8 p.m. on December 15 and exiting approximately 30 minutes later. Afterwards, a glow from a fire was visible at the residence, indicating a growing blaze.
Morrow arrived at his friends’ house in Hamlin at about 9:42 p.m., leaving the child and asking the friends to “help take care of his daughter.”
Crews were called to the fire about an hour later.
Morrow was found and arrested in Huntingdon on Friday. Investigators found two knives and a handgun in his vehicle when it was found in Hamlin, WSAZ reported.
According to WCHS, Morrow was convicted of a murder in Kanawha County in 2002 and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He served 15 years.
He has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson and is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Monday.
