Somers Point, N.J. — A 24-year-old Somers Point man has been sentenced to three years in state prison for starting a house fire while a family was asleep inside. Deshaun Howard was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty earlier this year to second-degree aggravated arson. Prosecutors said he will also serve three years of probation following his release.
The fire took place on March 23, 2022, at a home on West Dawes Avenue. Surveillance footage showed Howard and another person purchasing gasoline and spreading it around the home’s foundation before setting it on fire shortly before 4 a.m., according to court records. Fire crews arrived to find the back deck and a section of the house fully engulfed. The fire was brought under control within about three hours. Three people inside the home escaped safely, and no injuries were reported. Howard and a second suspect, Faith Tompkins, were arrested the following day. Charges against Tompkins are still pending. Howard's defense attorney said his client had been experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the incident and believed the government was targeting him. The attorney also stated there was no known connection between Howard and the victims. At the sentencing hearing, one of the victims described waking up to their home in flames and said they never imagined someone would try to kill them. Their children and pets were also inside at the time of the fire.
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