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DNA on Gas Nozzle Leads to Arson Arrests in Midlothian, But Family Still Seeks Motive
Two men face first-degree felony arson charges for an August 2025 fire at a Midlothian family's home, but the family says they still don't know why they were targeted.
MIDLOTHIAN, Texas â Two men have been arrested and charged with first-degree felony arson in connection with an August 2025 fire at a family's home on McAlpin Road, but the family says the arrests have not answered the question that has haunted them: who wanted them hurt, and why?
Bennie McGriff Jr. and Rashad Harrington were taken into custody after a 15-month investigation that relied on surveillance video, license plate readers, cellphone records and DNA evidence, according to search warrants obtained from Ellis County.
The fire was set in the early hours of an August night while children were inside the home. The family's surveillance camera captured a masked person pouring what appeared to be gasoline along the front of the house before igniting it and fleeing. Darryl Wilson, awakened by his daughter, discovered the fire and managed to extinguish the flames with water.
Investigators built their case through a trail of digital evidence. Although the family's surveillance video lacked a timestamp, another camera captured a white Ford F-450 near the home around the time of the fire. Detectives traced the truck to McGriff.
License plate readers and cellular data helped investigators reconstruct the truck's movements from Kerens to Duncanville, where they believe McGriff picked up Harrington, and then to Midlothian. Police say the truck returned to Duncanville after the fire before heading back toward Kerens. Court records indicate McGriff's phone connected to the vehicle's Bluetooth system during the trip.
When detectives interviewed McGriff at the Navarro County Jail in February, he denied knowing anyone in Midlothian and denied driving there the night of the fire, according to the documents. However, investigators said he owned the phone number they had pinged.
Harrington's cellphone activity raised additional questions. Investigators say the two men communicated before the fire, but Harrington's phone went silent during the time of the arson.
Then came what investigators believe is the most damning evidence: a gasoline nozzle recovered from Wilson's front flower bed. According to the search warrants, DNA testing by the Texas DPS Crime Lab linked Harrington to the nozzle. Combined with surveillance footage and cellphone records, investigators said the evidence established probable cause against both men.
Despite the arrests, the Wilson family said they do not know either suspect. They declined an on-camera interview, citing the ongoing legal process and attacks on social media.
Midlothian police also declined an interview, saying the investigation remains active and additional charges are possible.
For Wilson and his family, the arrests mark progress but not closure. The question of who wanted them hurt â and why â remains unanswered.