Crime To Burn

Episode 105 In rural Accomack County, structure fires are rare—maybe a handful a year across an entire district. So when six fires break out in less than 30 hours, investigators know immediately: this isn’t coincidence. It’s arson. What follows is one of the most baffling serial arson cases to ever hit Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Over five months, 87 fires tear through a tight-knit community of just 33,000 people—stretching volunteer fire departments to their limits and leaving investigators with little more than ash to work with. But what makes this case truly unsettling isn’t just the scale—it’s the motive. There’s no money. No revenge. No attempt to cover up another crime. The fires target abandoned buildings, offering no clear benefit to the person setting them. And the suspects? They don’t fit the profile. They’re not outsiders. Not isolated. Not young thrill-seekers. They’re a couple. In this episode, we break down how a quiet rural county became the center of a serial arson spree, what investigators look for when fire scene evidence is all but destroyed, and why cases driven by psychological motives—like pyromania—are some of the hardest to solve. Because when there’s no clear reason… there’s often no clear path to a suspect. And when someone sets six fires in 30 hours— they’re not finished. Buy Monica Hesse's amazing book on this case: American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land here: https://a.co/d/0609yUqG The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Hesse, Monica. American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land. Liveright Publishing, 2017. Johnson, R. Scott, M.D., J.D., LL.M., and Elisabeth Netherton, M.D. “Fire Setting and the Impulse-Control Disorder of Pyromania.” American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal, Vol. 11, No. 7, April 2017.https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2016.110707 Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Commission. 2022 Annual Report. “Burning Down Accomack – 10 Years Later.” WBOC Delmarva’s News Leader.https://www.wboc.com/news/watch-burning-down-accomack---10-years-later/video_0aa43587-4fdc-5678-96d2-ce9eb85d62e2.html “Second Accomack Arsonist Tonya Bundick’s Prison Sentence Ends.” Curtis, Sean. WBOC Delmarva’s News Leader, September 24, 2025.https://www.wboc.com/news/second-accomack-arsonist-tonya-bundick-s-prison-sentence-ends/article_62e90020-318e-475a-9ae9-a3e8d90557c6.html “Accomack Arsonist Charles Smith to Be Released from Prison Tuesday.” WBOC Delmarva’s News Leader, October 31, 2023.https://www.wboc.com/news/accomack-arsonist-charles-smith-to-be-released-from-prison-tuesday/article_3f047cee-7825-11ee-8c0b-b3dda31728b0.html Cohen, Stefanie. “How a Man’s Sexual Performance Led to a Massive Arson Spree.” New York Post, August 5, 2017.https://nypost.com/2017/08/05/how-a-mans-sexual-performance-led-to-a-massive-arson-spree/ Vaughn, Carol. “Serial Arsonist Told Cops Fires an Act of Love.” The Salisbury Daily Times, via Delaware Online.https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/1/01/01

Episode 104 Survivor Stories: An Interview with Shawn Simons & Alvaro Llanos In this special Survivor Stories episode, we step away from case analysis and into lived experience. We’re joined by Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos, two survivors of the Seton Hall University dorm fire—a tragedy that claimed three lives and forever changed many others. This is not a retelling of the case. This is what it was like to be there. Shawn and Alvaro share their memories from that night, the moments leading up to the fire, the chaos that followed, and the long road of recovery in the years since. Their story is one of survival, resilience, and the lasting impact of a fire that should never have happened. In the years since, they have dedicated themselves to advocacy—sharing their story to promote fire safety awareness, encourage resilience, and help prevent tragedies like this from happening again. Through their outreach efforts, they’ve worked to improve fire safety on college campuses and ensure that the lessons from Seton Hall are not forgotten. Out of respect for our guests and the weight of their experience, this episode is presented without mid-roll interruptions. We’re honored to share their voices with you. Follow Shawn and Alvaro on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alvaroandshawn/ Book Shawn and Alvaro to speak or hear more about their story: https://www.alandshawn.com/ Find the book of Shawn and Alvaro's experience and recovery on their website or purchase on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0hnK67Ae The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet. 

Episode 103 Across Massachusetts, a series of fires began targeting places tied to faith and patriotism — Protestant churches, American Legion halls, and other community institutions closely associated with “God and country.” From the beginning, investigators knew they were dealing with arson. At scene after scene, the same method appeared: windows smashed to gain entry, gasoline used as an accelerant, and fires intentionally set inside the buildings. The pattern was obvious, but proving the same person was responsible for all of them was another matter entirely. For a long time, investigators had little more than the method of operation linking the fires together. Then the suspect made a mistake. At one scene, a hammer was left behind — a small piece of evidence that investigators were able to connect to another fire through forensic analysis. It was the first physical link tying two of the crimes together. But even then, most of the fires remained connected only by pattern, timing, and method. The investigation would continue until the suspect was finally caught in the act, bringing an end to a string of arsons that had targeted both houses of worship and patriotic institutions across the state. In this episode of Crime to Burn, we break down the investigation, the forensic evidence, and how investigators ultimately stopped a serial firestarter. Buy Burn Boston Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/ipCuGL2 Buy Bang Boom Burn by Wayne M. Miller: https://a.co/d/a2EACYf The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: Miller, Wayne M. Bang Boom Burn: Explosive True Crime Gun, Bombing, and Arson Cases from a Federal Agent’s Career. AuthorHouse, 2021. ISBN 978-1-7333403-5-9. Hardiman, Thomas, et al. Dr. Thomas Hardiman, Affiliated Foot Care, PC, Plaintiffs, v. United States of America, Defendant.Available at: https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914f558add7b0493498a0b6 Kocsis, R. N. (2004). Psychological Profiling of Serial Arson Offenses: An Assessment of Skills and Accuracy. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31(3), 341–361.https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854803262586 Patriot Ledger Staff. (2010, October 6). Prosecutor: Plymouth arsonist wanted to go back to jail. The Patriot Ledger.https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/2010/10/06/prosecutor-plymouth-arsonist-wanted-to/40167801007/

Episode 102 In the conclusion of our coverage of the Seton Hall University dorm fire, we return to January of 2000, when flames broke out inside Boland Hall, trapping students behind smoke-filled corridors and turning a college residence hall into the scene of one of the most devastating campus fires in recent memory. In this episode, we walk through the fire investigation itself—how investigators began piecing together what happened that night and why, despite the lack of clear physical evidence, they quickly suspected the fire had been intentionally set. We examine the subtle clues that pointed investigators toward arson, from burn patterns and witness accounts to inconsistencies in the early explanations coming from students who had been in the building that night. But the investigation quickly ran into a wall. Witnesses began clamming up, stories changed, and the tight-knit social circles inside the dorm made it difficult for investigators to get reliable information about what had really happened in the lounge where the fire began. As the case stalled, law enforcement took increasingly aggressive steps to move the investigation forward, including compelling testimony through a grand jury in an effort to break through the silence. Eventually, an unexpected development helped investigators finally connect the dots: the involvement of a notorious mafia hitman who had information that helped push the investigation toward indictments. Those indictments would ultimately reach beyond the two students accused of setting the fire. Prosecutors also charged members of one suspect’s family with witness tampering, alleging attempts to interfere with the investigation as authorities worked to determine who was responsible for the fire that night. In the final chapter of this story, we examine how the investigation unfolded, how the case was built despite limited physical evidence, and how the legal consequences spread far beyond the two young men accused of starting the fire. Purchase the book After The Fire that we sourced for this episode here: https://a.co/d/08OUjIBm or watch the documentary on Tubi. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: After the Fire: A True Story of Friendship and Survival (Robin Gaby Fisher) • Back Bay Books / Little, Brown and Company • 2008 (paperback ed. 2010) After the Fire: A True Story of Heroes & Cowards (dir. Guido Verweyen) • Documentary • 2013 • Featuring Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos “Suits filed in Seton Hall dorm fire” • Arizona Daily Sun • Jan 19, 2002https://azdailysun.com/suits-filed-in-seton-hall-dorm-fire/article_46018ce6-ff78-5daa-b309-879a91f2501e.html “Experts for defense fault Seton Hall in fatal dorm fire” • Chicago Tribune • Aug 18, 2006 (updated Aug 21, 2021)https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/08/18/experts-for-defense-fault-seton-hall-in-fatal-dorm-fire/ “University community reflects 25 years after the Boland Hall fire” (Thomas Canela) • The Setonian • Feb 27, 2025https://www.thesetonian.com/article/2

Episode 101 On January 19, 2000, a fire broke out in a third-floor lounge inside Boland Hall at Seton Hall University. Within minutes, thick smoke filled the hallway. Students pounded on doors. Some thought it was a false alarm. Others ran. Three students would not survive. In Part 1, we focus on the night of the fire — what happened, how it unfolded, and why conditions became so deadly so quickly. We discuss: The timeline of events as students began to realize something was wrong The rapid buildup of smoke on the third floor The confusion and delays during evacuation And how the building’s concrete construction trapped heat and intensified conditions inside Three young lives were lost in a matter of minutes. Part 1 centers on the human experience — the chaos, the survival decisions, and the early rumors that began circulating almost immediately. In Part 2, we’ll examine the investigation, the forensic findings, and the legal aftermath that would divide a campus and raise lasting questions about accountability. Because sometimes the story of a fire isn’t just about ignition. It's about what happens after the flames are out.  Purchase the book After The Fire that we sourced for this episode here: https://a.co/d/08OUjIBm or watch the documentary on Tubi. The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  SOURCES: After the Fire: A True Story of Friendship and Survival (Robin Gaby Fisher) • Back Bay Books / Little, Brown and Company • 2008 (paperback ed. 2010) After the Fire: A True Story of Heroes & Cowards (dir. Guido Verweyen) • Documentary • 2013 • Featuring Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos “Suits filed in Seton Hall dorm fire” • Arizona Daily Sun • Jan 19, 2002https://azdailysun.com/suits-filed-in-seton-hall-dorm-fire/article_46018ce6-ff78-5daa-b309-879a91f2501e.html “Experts for defense fault Seton Hall in fatal dorm fire” • Chicago Tribune • Aug 18, 2006 (updated Aug 21, 2021)https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/08/18/experts-for-defense-fault-seton-hall-in-fatal-dorm-fire/ “University community reflects 25 years after the Boland Hall fire” (Thomas Canela) • The Setonian • Feb 27, 2025https://www.thesetonian.com/article/2025/02/25-years-after-boland-fire “Parole denied for 2 who set Seton Hall dorm fire that killed 3 students in 2000” (David Porter, AP) • tucson.com • Apr 1, 2008https://tucson.com/news/national/article_ddddebb6-d3b8-554c-85fb-0aa0e6cf0c12.html “After the fire: Seton Hall students tell story” (Greg Watry) • New Jersey Herald • Apr 22, 2015 (updated Apr 25, 2015)https://www.njherald.com/story/news/2015/04/23/after-fire-seton-hall-students/4043405007/ “Seton Hall Arsonists Get 5 Years” • CBS News • Jan 26, 2007https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seton-hall-arsonists-get-5-years/ “Three Die in Dormitory Fire at Seton Hall University” (John J. Goldman) • Los Angeles Times • Jan 20, 2000https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jan-20-mn-55831-story.html “Seton Hall Dorm Arsonist Out on Parole” (Tamara Vostok) • NBC Philadelphia • May 6,