ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. – A Rockbridge County jury has decided the fate of a Glasgow man accused of setting a historic home on fire back in 2022.
Jermale Fitz, 37, was charged with breaking into the Echols Farm last January and setting it on fire, while allegedly high on meth.
The home — now a total loss— was built in the 1850s and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Prosecutors said Fitz intentionally broke in, set the house on fire, and caused over $200,000 in property damage because he was under the influence.
But the defense argued that it was an accident because Fitz suffers from severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and PTSD from his time in the military.
The defense said Fitz was hallucinating and thought people were chasing him, trying to kill him. They said he feared for his life and set a blanket inside the home on fire to send a smoke signal for help.
The jury heard testimony from a forensic psychiatrist, who said it was too difficult to determine if Fitz’s actions were because of his meth use or his mental illnesses. Fitz admitted that at the time, he was ‘regularly’ using meth: 0.5 grams a day.
After deliberation, the jury decided that Fitz was guilty of property damage, a Class III misdemeanor, and not guilty of arson or statutory burglary.
“I’m definitely really sorry about everything, the way that everything happened,” said Fitz in the courtroom after the verdict.
10 News caught up with both families after the verdict to get their reactions.
“Well, obviously, we were disappointed,” said Edward Kropf, one of the owners of Echols Farm. “We felt like he was definitely guilty of the charges. Our main hope was that he could get some help for his mental illness.”
“We believe justice was served,” said Rachel Jones, Fitz’s aunt. “We’re sorry that that happened to the family because we live in a community, a close-knit community. And we don’t want division, we want unity.”
Fitz’s sentencing hearing is set for March 28 at 1 p.m.