W.Va. man gets life for double murder of fiancée and her mother in a house fire
07/13/2026 8:39 am PDT
WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va. (TCN) -- A man has received two life sentences without the possibility of parole in connection with the 2024 deaths of his girlfriend and her mother.
Britney Brown, 34, and her mother, 57-year-old Erma Brown, were found dead from stab wounds in a burning home in December 2024, according to WCHS. The fire was reportedly connected to an Amber Alert involving the 15-month-old child of Britney Brown and Joshua Morrow. A GoFundMe later set up by family members claims Morrow was Britney Brown’s fiancé.
According to a criminal complaint, Morrow was seen on home surveillance footage leaving the burning home with the child, WOWK reports. Morrow then reportedly went to a home in a neighboring community and asked them to take the child; he said someone was trying to put him in jail. WCHS reports the child was later found safe and unharmed.
The case was investigated by 17 agencies, including the FBI, according to WCHS. Morrow was arrested a few days after the fire and was found guilty on May 18 of two counts of first-degree murder and one charge each of arson and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Morrow was given two life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murder charges, 20 years in prison for arson, and five years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, per WOWK. The sentences are to be served consecutively. WSAZ reports Morrow maintained his innocence throughout proceedings and his attorney said they plan to appeal.
A victim impact statement from Britney Brown’s brother was read in court, according to WSAZ. It stated, “The defendant didn’t just take two lives. He took our future with them.”
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