Four defendants are jailed without bond as investigators link a predawn fire to a robbery plot and multiple gunshots.
CLEAR SPRING, Md. — Three people killed in a western Maryland house fire last month died of gunshot wounds before the home was set on fire, according to a preliminary autopsy, sharpening a homicide case that has already produced four arrests and a search for more suspects.
The case centers on a one-story home on National Pike, where fire marshals arrived just after 5 a.m. Nov. 18 and quickly flagged signs that the blaze was not accidental. Maryland State Police say a homicide team took over after K-9s alerted to accelerants and investigators observed trauma to the victims that did not match fire injuries. The autopsy results announced this week confirm that Brittany Ray, 31; Harold Flichman, 36; and Brianna Weishaar, 25, were fatally shot before the fire began.
Charging papers outline a sequence anchored by surveillance video. A Ring camera mounted at the house recorded a man identified by police as Darnell “Donnell” Hawkins, 47, shoving Weishaar onto the porch and pulling her inside by the hair in the early morning darkness. The same clip captured a male voice saying, “Clean everything … the whole house,” the documents say. Investigators believe the fire was then started in at least two places — the front porch and a first-floor bedroom — using an accelerant that produced distinct pour patterns on concrete.
Hawkins and Tony Smith, 43, are charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree arson. Two others — Maurice Mouzon, 46, and Kierra White, 35 — face conspiracy, handgun or accessory-after-the-fact counts. All four were arrested between Nov. 21 and Nov. 28 and remain held without bond. Police say a wallet belonging to Hawkins was found in the basement near Ray and Flichman, where four spent shell casings were also recovered. Detectives alleged the group rented a U-Haul that was parked nearby and used as part of the operation. Whether cash, drugs or firearms were taken is not yet known.
Investigators said the victims lived in the house and were targeted. A witness told detectives the defendants discussed robbing “Hagerstown drug dealers” of narcotics, guns and money, according to the charging documents. The medical examiner’s final report is pending; officials have not detailed the caliber of weapons used, the accelerant composition or a definitive ignition source. The state police homicide unit is working with the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the FBI, Hagerstown police and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecutors in Washington County are consulting on the charges.
Hawkins’ background has also drawn attention: he was released on parole Oct. 2 after a life sentence in a separate 1997 murder case. Authorities have not said whether parole status will affect the current prosecution beyond routine notice to state corrections officials. Court dates for the four defendants have not been posted. Additional arrests are anticipated, police said, as lab testing on burn debris and digital forensics from the Ring device and other cameras continues.
Neighbors along U.S. 40 described seeing flames and smoke before dawn as firefighters arrived. A woman identifying herself as Weishaar’s mother said her daughter was an honors student with degrees in business and criminology who owned the home and leaves behind a 6-year-old son. Other relatives of Ray and Flichman have not made public statements. Officials have not released 911 audio, and investigators have not discussed any recovered firearms or ballistic matches.
As of Wednesday, the investigation remains open with more forensic results expected soon. The preliminary autopsy findings give prosecutors a critical element of proof — cause of death by gunshot — while fire investigators finish analyses that will inform potential additional charges tied to arson and conspiracy.
Author note: Last updated December 3, 2025.