Edgewood, MD – A 63-year-old woman is facing multiple life sentences in prison after a jury convicted her of four counts of felony murder and one count of first-degree arson for a fire she set at a home, killing four people.
Bobbie Sue Hodge of Edgewood is facing a maximum penalty of four life sentences plus sixty years in prison at her sentencing hearing.
On May 9, 2019, police officers and firefighters from Harford County responded to a fire at 1862 Simons Court to find a dwelling fully engulfed in fire.
A third-floor occupant of the dwelling, Ernest Lee, called 911 to report a fire at 1862 Simons Court, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s office.
“Members of the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department were the first engine to respond to the fire,” the department said. “By 2:35 a.m., when the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department arrived, the third floor of the townhouse was completely engulfed in fire. Abingdon Volunteer Fire Department, Bel Air Volunteer Fire Department, Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire Department, and Baltimore County-Kingsville Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the fire.”
Ernest Lee, Dionne Hill, and Kimberly Shupe, all third-floor occupants, died in the fire.
A third victim escaped the fire by jumping out of his third-floor bedroom window. He sustained a broken ankle and broken arm but survived.
A woman who lived on the second floor was rescued by firefighters and treated for smoke inhalation, but the woman, Mary Elizabeth Kennedy passed away six months later in the hospital from her injuries.
“This tragedy shocked our Harford County community,” said Albert J. Peisinger, Jr., State’s Attorney for Harford County. “It is my hope that this verdict is a first step towards healing for the surviving victims and the families of those who lost loved ones.”
The jury trial took place from October 5, 2022, until the verdict was reached on October 24, 2022.
“This tragedy shocked our Harford County community,” said Mr. Peisinger. “It is my hope that this verdict is a first step towards healing for the surviving victims and the families of those who lost loved ones.”