A West Virginia father and convicted murderer is accused of fatally stabbing his fiancee and her mother in his home, then burning the property and taking his 15-month-old daughter to a friend’s house before fleeing, prompting an Amber Alert that led to his arrest and the baby’s discovery unharmed.
Joshua Russell Morrow, 42, is charged with murder in the deaths of his girlfriend Britney Brown, 34, and her mother, Irma Brown, 57. He is also charged with first-degree arson, according to West Virginia State Police.
According to police, the events that led to the bloodshed and fire began at 7:54 p.m. on Sunday, when a neighbor’s surveillance video allegedly showed Morrow pulling up to his house on Spring Valley Drive in Wayne County and leaving 28 minutes later.
According to the complaint, a glow of light coming from the home after he left was “indicative of the increasing intensity of the structure fire,” as obtained by local ABC and Fox affiliate WCHS.
At 9:42 p.m., he allegedly dropped his daughter off at a friend’s house in Hamlin, about 40 miles northeast of where her mother and grandmother were murdered.
According to a complaint, local ABC and Fox affiliate WCHS reported that witnesses told police Morrow had to come to the house and ask them to look after his daughter because people were trying to “put him in jail.”
He also allegedly stated that they were “all gone” and went up in a “blaze,” according to the station’s documents.
Firefighters responded to the fire at 10:40 p.m. and discovered the deceased women in the rubble after it was extinguished.
Police were called in to investigate and discovered stab wounds and blood stains on the bodies, determining the deaths to be homicides, according to the complaint.
Morrow was quickly identified as a suspect in the crime. Neighbors notified police that the baby and her father were missing.
Police also discovered Morrow in a vehicle as he allegedly drove out of the driveway as the fire spread, according to local affiliate WSAZ, which cited court documents.
An Amber Alert was issued to locate the baby, and a warrant was issued for Morrow’s arrest in the double murder and arson.
An hour later, the baby was found safe at a friend’s house.
Police apprehended Morrow before dawn on Friday in Huntington, about 20 miles north of the crime scene.
Morrow was 18 when he was charged with murder in Kanawha County in 2001, according to local NBC affiliate WSAZ, which cited court documents.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison, before being released on parole in 2017.
It is unclear whether Morrow, who did not have custody of his daughter, will face charges for taking her, but authorities say the investigation is ongoing.
Morrow is being held at the Western Regional Jail without bail. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
