Naman Shrestha
In Investigation Discovery’s ‘Before They Kill Again: He Watched Them Burn,’ the focus is on the most prolific serial arsonist in the history of the United States — Thomas A. Sweatt. For more than three decades, he wreaked havoc primarily in Washington, DC, and kept getting away with it until a series of incriminating evidence led the investigators to him. As the series of fires led to the demise of a few people, the urgency to bring the arsonist to justice increased. Given the detailed account of his crimes and victims, questions about his current whereabouts are bound to arise in the viewers’ minds.
Thomas A. Sweatt Was Responsible for Hundreds of Arsons in Different States Over Three Decades
Born on November 1, 1954, Thomas A. Sweatt grew up to raise fiery hell in and around Washington, DC, including Maryland and Virginia, and became one of the most prolific serial arsonists in the nation’s history. The African American used to work at a fast-food restaurant in the early 2000s when he was first linked to a series of arsons in Washington, DC, and Maryland that had resulted in the death of a few people. When the authorities dug deeper into similar house fires taking place in 2003, they were able to identify the signature device used by the arsonist. Ultimately, they concluded that the same suspect was linked to various other fires that occurred in the area. After about two years of investigation, the detectives came across a pair of Marine Corps blue trousers on the premises of another fire scene.
Ever since he was reportedly rejected by the United States Navy in the 1970s, Thomas had been obsessed with the Marines. His obsession indirectly became the reason for his capture as his vehicle was spotted at the scene of a car fire by a Marine Corps security camera. Resultantly, those trousers led them to Thomas Sweatt, who provided them with a DNA sample without any hesitation. After further examination, the police connected Thomas Sweatt to 50 fires and identified him to be the prime suspect. Upon gathering enough incriminating evidence against him, the authorities arrested him in April 2005 for the federal crimes of arson, after which he admitted to setting fires for more than three decades, to the shock of the detectives.
As per his claims, he used cloth wicks and one-gallon jugs of gasoline to set many fires. Responsible for more than 350 fires in the Washington, DC, area, he was responsible for the deaths of Annie Brown in 2002 and Lou Edna Jones in 2003. On January 11, 1985, he was also responsible for following Roy Picott to his house, bringing a two-liter soda bottle filled with gasoline and pouring it under his front door. While Roy, his wife, Bessie Mae Duncan, and their daughters were asleep on the second floor, he set fire to the house, causing the family to suffer from severe burns. While Roy’s son and stepson were not harmed at all as they were in the basement, Bessie and Roy succumbed to the injuries.
Thomas A. Sweatt is Behind Bars Serving His Life Sentence
A few months after his arrest, on August 4, 2005, Thomas A. Sweatt was formally charged with second-degree murder while armed in the two fatal arson cases. Not only did he admit that he had a hand in more than 300 fires over the past three decades, but he also pleaded guilty to multiple counts, including destruction of buildings by fire resulting in personal injury, possession of destructive devices, first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree murder, and possession of destructive devices in furtherance of a crime of violence. As a result, on September 12, 2005, he was sentenced to life in prison, in addition to nearly 136 years, without the possibility of parole.
While Thomas’ defense argued that the defendant had a mental illness that led him to commit those crimes, Thomas apologized for his crimes to the judge as well as to the loved ones of the victims who had died during the arsons. He stated, “To my victims and to the victims’ families, I’m very sorry for all the harm that I caused you. For those of you who have lost loved ones, I share your hurt and share your pain every day.” Moreover, it was recommended that he receive a psychiatric evaluation and treatment if need be. As of May 2023, he was incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg Medium in Hopewell, Virginia, serving his life sentence.
Read More: John Leonard Orr: Where is the Arsonist Now?
