Joshua Morrow also received consecutive prison terms for arson and illegally possessing a firearm.

WAYNE, W.Va. — A West Virginia judge has sentenced Joshua Russell Morrow to two consecutive terms of life in prison without parole for killing his fiancée, Britney Brown, and her mother, Erma Brown, before setting fire to the Wayne County home where their bodies were found.

The maximum punishment imposed July 9 brings the trial-court phase of the case to a close more than 18 months after the Dec. 15, 2024, killings. Morrow also received 20 years for first-degree arson and five years for being a felon prohibited from possessing a firearm. The terms are to run consecutively, leaving no possibility that Morrow, who maintained his innocence at sentencing, will be released under the judgment now in place. His attorney said an appeal is planned.

The sentence followed the recommendation of a Wayne County jury that convicted Morrow in May of two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree arson and unlawful firearm possession. During a separate penalty phase, jurors recommended that he receive no mercy, the West Virginia term used when a person convicted of first-degree murder is denied the possibility of parole. The judge’s ruling followed that recommendation and added the statutory sentences for the other convictions. Britney Brown was 34, and Erma Brown was 57. Firefighters found both women inside the burned home on Spring Valley Drive after responding to a structure fire on the night of Dec. 15, 2024. Investigators determined that the women had suffered stab wounds before the fire began. Authorities presented the blaze not as the cause of their deaths, but as an intentional act committed after the killings. The fire badly damaged the home and complicated the initial recovery and identification work.

Prosecutors built their case around physical evidence, surveillance recordings, witness accounts and Morrow’s movements that evening. According to evidence cited in court reports, video showed Morrow arriving at the residence shortly before 8 p.m. He left about 28 minutes later as an increasing glow could be seen around the house, indicating that the fire was growing. Investigators also reported finding blood evidence connected to both women and evidence supporting their conclusion that the fire had been deliberately set.

The case quickly expanded beyond the burning home because Morrow and Britney Brown’s 15-month-old daughter could not immediately be located. An Amber Alert was issued as police and other agencies searched for the child. Authorities later learned that Morrow had taken her to a friend’s residence in neighboring Lincoln County. The child was found there unharmed about an hour after the fire response began, ending the missing-child emergency while the search for Morrow continued.

The friend told investigators that Morrow arrived with the toddler and made statements suggesting that Britney and Erma Brown were dead and that he expected police to pursue him. Court reporting on the criminal complaint said Morrow told the friend that people were trying to put him in jail and referred to the women as being “all gone.” Prosecutors used the account, together with the surveillance timeline and other evidence, to connect Morrow to the deaths, the fire and his departure from Wayne County.

West Virginia State Police located and arrested Morrow after the fire. Early records listed murder and arson accusations, while the final case presented to the jury included two first-degree murder counts, first-degree arson and firearm possession by a prohibited person. Seventeen agencies took part in the wider investigation, according to local reporting, including the FBI, the West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office. State police Sgt. Susan Cooper served as the lead case agent.

The defense disputed the state’s account during the trial. A fire expert called by Morrow’s attorneys testified that computer modeling raised questions about the prosecution’s fire timeline. Jurors also viewed body-camera footage of officers speaking with Morrow after the fire and heard testimony about his conduct. After considering the competing evidence, the jury found him guilty on every count and returned its no-mercy recommendation the following day.

Prosecutors also introduced Morrow’s criminal history during the penalty phase. He had previously been convicted of killing another man in Kanawha County and had served prison time in that case. The earlier conviction was not offered to decide whether he committed the Wayne County killings; guilt had already been determined. It was presented as jurors considered whether either murder sentence should include a future chance at parole. The jury rejected mercy for both killings.

Family members addressed the court through victim-impact statements before the final punishment was imposed. Erma Brown’s son described a family that would never again be whole after losing his mother and sister in the same act of violence. Other relatives spoke about Britney Brown’s children and the lasting consequences they face. Family members said one of the hardest tasks ahead will be explaining the deaths to the young daughter Britney Brown shared with Morrow as the child grows older.

Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney Jason Spears served as special prosecutor in the Wayne County case. After the verdict, Spears called the killings a horrific and heartbreaking crime that devastated the family and shocked the community. He credited assistant prosecutors Scott Bellomy and Shawn Bartram, victim advocate Emilie Christenberry, chief paralegal Ashley Brewer and investigators from the state police and fire marshal’s office for their work on the prosecution.

Morrow continued to deny responsibility at the sentencing hearing. His stated intention to appeal means a higher court may eventually review claims concerning the trial, evidence or legal rulings, but an appeal does not erase the convictions or suspend the sentence by itself. Unless the judgment is later overturned or modified through the appellate process, Morrow will remain imprisoned for life without parole, followed by the additional consecutive terms imposed for arson and the firearm offense.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 4, 2026.