PB woman gets 20 years for house fire death

KENNETT — A Poplar Bluff woman was sentenced Wednesday morning to nearly 20 years in prison on a murder charge stemming from a June 2017 house fire.

Tara Janae Maxfield appeared for sentencing before Presiding Circuit Judge Robert Mayer after she pleaded guilty in September to the Class A felony of second-degree murder.

With her plea, the 45-year-old admitted to causing the death of Tommy Eugene Younger.

As part of plea negotiations, Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor agreed to a sentencing cap of 20 years. Ten years is the mandatory minimum on the charge.

“I capped it at 20 because that is what I intended to ask for from the beginning,” Proctor said. “ ... There were never indications that Mrs. Maxfield intended to kill anyone, especially the victim, who by all accounts was a close friend of the defendant.

“In fact, there is not any evidence that Mrs. Maxfield knew he was present in the house at the time she started the fire; however, it was clear that she intended to start the fire, which led to the victim’s death.”

While the state recommended a 20-year sentence during the hearing, Proctor said, the defense asked for 15 years.

“The court sentenced Mrs. Maxfield to 18 years,” Proctor said. “ ... While I can’t speak for the court, I do believe (the judge) took into consideration Mrs. Maxfield’s hearing impairment and speech impairment.

“Another issue that the court took into consideration was the fact that Mrs. Maxfield, throughout the entirety of the court proceedings in this case, appeared to be truly remorseful for her actions.”

Maxfield pleaded guilty to “felony murder, but it’s still an 85 percenter; it carries the same range of punishment as murder second,” Proctor said.

Maxfield will have to serve 85% of her sentence before she is eligible for parole.

Proctor said there were no victim impact statements made prior to the sentencing.

“The state was unable to contact anyone that was a close family member or relative that wanted to come and speak on his (Younger’s) behalf,” Proctor said.

Per the plea agreement, Proctor said, Maxfield’s remaining charges — a Class A felony of first-degree arson and four Class B felonies of first-degree assault — were dismissed at sentencing.

The charges against Maxfield stemmed from an investigation into a June 4, 2017, fire at 712 Poplar St.

According to earlier reports, Poplar Bluff firefighters found Younger, who was unconscious and barely breathing, inside his first-floor apartment after responding there at 10:43 a.m.

After rescuing the 57-year-old, he later died at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center at about 5:30 p.m.

Maxfield had been accused of causing Younger’s death during her “attempted perpetration” of arson.

Maxfield also had been accused of assaulting Paul Boyer, Tony Frymire, Stephanie Kiper and Jodi Blackmore, who were inside the other apartments at the time she set the fire.

When firefighters arrived, they reportedly found heavy smoke and fire on the front of the home, which had been added on to and converted into three apartments.

According to earlier reports, Boyer had been trapped by the flames and “resorted to jumping from a second-story window to the ground, which was approximately 20 feet below.”

Boyer suffered what were described as minor injuries, as well as severe smoke inhalation, which required medical treatment.

Authorities reported Frymire, Kiper and Blackmore had been trapped in a first-floor apartment and escaped through a window by moving a window-mounted air conditioning unit.

During the investigation, Maxfield admitted to starting the fire using a lighter to catch a blanket on fire.

The blanket, according to earlier reports, was on a couch on the front porch at the time it was set on fire, and the fire spread to the front of the residence.

The home reportedly had only one entrance on the front porch.

A motive for the fire was never reported by officials.