Woman convicted of burglarizing her ex's home, setting it on fire shortly after their breakup
03/05/2024 12:13 pm PST
WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (TCD) -- A 50-year-old woman has been convicted and sentenced for burglarizing her ex-boyfriend's home and setting it ablaze shortly after their breakup in 2020.
The Solicitor's Office for the Ninth District announced that on March 1, a jury convicted Toya Steward on charges of second-degree arson and second-degree burglary, and a judge subsequently sentenced her to 15 years suspended to 10 years for the arson charge and 10 years suspended to 7 years followed by 5 years probation for burglary. Steward was found not guilty of attempted murder.
On the morning of Feb. 8, 2020, Steward's boyfriend broke off their relationship because Steward was "harassing his friends on social media." According to the solicitor's office, at around 9 a.m. that day, Steward showed up at her ex's residence unannounced, but he wasn't there. His roommate was home at the time and refused to open the door as Steward banged on it repeatedly and shouted "profanities" for nearly two hours.
Steward reportedly sent her ex-boyfriend a "barrage of texts and phone calls," some of which were "harassing, threatening messages." She told the victim she was "going into his house to get her things back." In total, the solicitor's office said Steward called her ex 127 times and texted him 141 times that day. She left "angry voicemails," which were later played at her trial.
The roommate reportedly said the defendant parked her car in the driveway and exited in a "fit of rage." Steward's ex-boyfriend told her to leave numerous times and also tried telling her his son was home to make her go away.
The victim's roommate heard Steward break into the home by smashing the back glass door, so he hid in the bathroom. The defendant ransacked the home and stole her ex-boyfriend's belongings. According to the solicitor's office, she grabbed a five-gallon gas can from the backyard, poured gasoline throughout the residence, and lit fires in three separate areas.
The roommate continued to hide in the bathroom as he heard an explosion. He reportedly "touched the bathroom doorknob making sure it wasn’t hot" before escaping the flames and exiting out of his bedroom window. According to the solicitor's office, the roommate said he "barely" made it out alive.
Investigators learned Steward "left a trail of clues making sure the victim knew she had been there."
Detectives with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office found Steward at her apartment and took her into custody. She reportedly confessed to going to the victim's home that morning, and said she went there again to "see the house on fire." Her vehicle was recovered for evidence.
A South Carolina Law Enforcement Division expert testified in court, revealing that investigators found gasoline on the floor mat of Steward's car. Prosecutors said Steward had stepped in the gasoline during the incident, tracking some remnants into her car.
Managing Assistant Solicitor Nina Savas called Steward's crimes "unjustifiable." Her actions "put the lives of the firefighters, first responders, neighbors… at risk."
Steward is being held in the Charleston County Detention Center.
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