Frederick, MD – Byron Alton Bowie, Jr., 49, has been sentenced to 30 years in the Department of Corrections for first-degree arson. The sentencing, administered by Judge Julia Martz-Fisher in Frederick County Circuit Court, comes as a result of an arson committed in 2023, which violated Bowie’s probation for a 1992 first-degree murder conviction. Additionally, the court has imposed a concurrent life sentence for the probation violation.
On November 24, 2023, around 9:00 PM, Frederick Police responded to a possible domestic incident at 2203 Waller House Court. Police were informed by a neighbor that a man had threatened to burn down the house and kill everyone inside. Firefighters soon arrived and found flames on the roof and through the windows. The defendant was seen breaking into the house on home surveillance footage and was arrested near Whittier Drive around 10:00 PM. The victim’s home was extensively damaged by fire and smoke.
On August 1, Bowie pleaded guilty to first-degree arson according to a binding plea
