Maryland man found guilty of starting fire that killed woman and her toddler

WALDORF, Md. (TCN) — A 49-year-old man faces up to 140 years in prison for starting a fatal house fire after he was told he could no longer live there.

The Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office announced that a jury found Vincent Anthony Fisher II guilty on Sept. 27 of two counts of first-degree arson and two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of 27-year-old Rashawn Cline and her 18-month-old daughter, Dashawn Cline. Fisher is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 19.

According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, on the night of March 31, 2022, officers, local fire departments, and emergency medical services personnel responded to a townhome on Heathcote Road in reference to a fight and possible fire. Responders observed the residence was fully engulfed in flames.

Authorities reportedly found Fisher, a resident of the townhome, outside with injuries from an assault that occurred before the blaze.

Fire personnel extinguished the flames and located the deceased victims in an upstairs bedroom, prosecutors said.

According to the state’s attorney’s office, investigators determined Fisher got into a physical fight with two other men, including another resident, before the fire. The fight reportedly began in the townhome “but continued outside after Fisher jumped out of his second-story window.”

Prosecutors said another resident told Fisher he wasn’t allowed to live at the townhome anymore because of his drug use.

On the last night he could stay at the residence, Fisher reportedly went inside and after the two other men left, he “intentionally started a fire on a mattress located in the living room of the residence before going outside.”

Prosecutors said the flames spread to the rooms on the first floor, as well as the second floor, where Rashawn Cline and her daughter were. The house was “completely destroyed” as a result.

Officials obtained video footage from a nearby house that captured Fisher walking toward the townhome prior to the fire.

According to the state’s attorney’s office, authorities found two lighters in Fisher’s pants when they took him into custody. Investigators also learned Fisher had phencyclidine (PCP) in his body during the incident.

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