Joshua Russell Morrow (West Virginia State Police). Background: The West Virginia home Morrow is accused of setting on fire after allegedly fatally stabbing his fiancee and her mother (WSAZ).
A West Virginia father who had previously served time in prison for killing a man has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars for the fatal stabbings of his fiancee and her mother, then setting the home ablaze and leaving the couple’s toddler behind.
Joshua Russell Morrow was sentenced Wednesday to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the murders of Britney Brown, 34, and her mother, Erma Brown, 57, according to court records. He also received a 20-year sentence for first-degree arson and five years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The punishment was handed down less than two months after a Wayne County jury found Morrow guilty on every charge and recommended during the trial’s penalty phase that he receive no mercy.
When the verdict was announced in May, Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney Jason Spears, who handled the case as a special prosecutor, called the killings “a horrific and heartbreaking case that devastated a family and shocked the community.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, the attack occurred Dec. 15, 2024, at Morrow’s residence on Spring Valley Drive in Wayne County. According to surveillance footage referenced in the criminal complaint, Morrow arrived at the home shortly before 8 p.m. and left roughly 28 minutes later, as a growing glow from the property indicated the fire was spreading.
Investigators said Morrow then took his 15-month-old daughter to a friend’s home in nearby Lincoln County before running from the area. That friend later told authorities that Morrow claimed people were trying to “put him in jail” and said the victims were “all gone” and had gone up in a “blaze.”
Fire crews called to the burning home later found Britney and Erma Brown inside. Authorities said both women had stab wounds and blood evidence, leading investigators to conclude they were killed before Morrow deliberately set the house on fire.
An Amber Alert was issued for the missing toddler, who was located unharmed at the friend’s home about an hour later. Troopers with the state police located and arrested Morrow before dawn.
During the penalty phase of the trial, prosecutors presented evidence of Morrow’s prior murder conviction in Kanawha County, and relatives described the lasting trauma inflicted on the victims’ family, including Britney Brown’s children, according to the Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Morrow maintained his innocence and his attorney said he intends to appeal, WSAZ reported.
The station also reported that a victim advocate read impact statements from family members before sentencing, including one from Erma Brown’s son, who said the family would never be whole again and that he could not understand how someone could take the lives of his mother and sister.
Following the hearing, Erma Brown’s sister, Lisa McCallister, told WSAZ she was grateful Morrow would spend the remainder of his life in prison, while other relatives said they dread the task of one day explaining the case to the 2-year-old daughter Morrow shared with Britney Brown.
