An Aiken mother is facing first-degree arson charges in connection with a fire over the weekend that trapped and killed her 23-year-old son, Markel Howard.
Latrina Hollingsworth, 43, was arrested Monday on charges of first-degree arson, for starting a fire that led to Howard’s death. She has a lengthy criminal history, including prior arrests for assault, domestic violence, and disorderly conduct.
Authorities say that on Sunday, Hollingsworth set fire to a table inside the home on Kellogg Drive, trapping her son inside. He was unable to escape and died in the blaze, according to an arrest warrant.
First responders arrived at the scene around 7:45 p.m. Sunday and discovered Howard’s body inside the home. He was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. by Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables.
A second resident noticed smoke in a separate room and went to the living room, where he saw a chair engulfed in flames, authorities said. The resident attempted to rescue Howard but was unable to reach him due to the intensity of the fire.
A sheriff’s report says the resident then saw Hollingsworth standing outside, looking toward the burning home. The resident confronted her, accusing her of starting the fire.
While a motive remains unclear, news of Hollingsworth’s arrest sparked intense reactions online, with some calling her “pure evil.” Sherine Hightower said the family would ensure justice for the tragic death.
“A so-called mother, Latrina Hollingsworth, is pure evil in the flesh!” Hightower wrote on Facebook. “You not only took a life, you took the life of the young man that you brought into this world!”
Hollingsworth has been arrested multiple times in Aiken County, with a criminal record that includes over half a dozen arrests. In a 2021 domestic violence case, her boyfriend told police that she hit him on the back of the head with a glass jar, causing cuts to his head and neck. In a more recent case, she was accused of punching a woman’s child who had asked her to leave their residence.
Hollingsworth remained in the Aiken County Detention Center without bond as of Tuesday. First-degree arson in South Carolina is a felony involving the intentional setting of a fire that causes serious injury or death. A conviction carries a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.
