A gasoline nozzle discovered in a flower bed has proven instrumental in connecting two men to a deliberate arson attack on a Midlothian family’s home , an incident in which children were present inside the residence at the time of the blaze.
Fifteen months after the incident, Darryl Wilson and his family have witnessed arrests being made, yet the most pressing question continues to go unanswered: who wanted them harmed, and for what reason? It is a question that Midlothian police are equally determined to resolve.
Bennie McGriff Jr. and Rashad Harrington now face first-degree felony arson charges in connection with the August 2025 fire at Wilson’s home on McAlpin Road. Search warrants obtained by CBS News Texas from Ellis County detail how investigators leveraged surveillance footage, license plate readers, cellphone records, and DNA evidence to establish a connection between the two men and the crime.
Surveillance footage from the family’s own camera captured a masked individual pouring what appeared to be gasoline along the front exterior of the home before igniting it, then fleeing the scene. Wilson, awakened by his daughter, discovered the fire and was able to extinguish the flames using water.
A trail of technology
Although the family’s surveillance camera lacked a timestamp, a separate camera captured a white Ford F-450 in the vicinity of the home around the time the fire occurred. Investigators were able to trace the vehicle back to McGriff. According to court documents, license plate readers and cellular data allowed detectives to reconstruct the truck’s movements from Kerens to Duncanville , where McGriff is believed to have picked up Harrington , and subsequently to Midlothian. Authorities indicate the vehicle returned to Duncanville following the fire before heading back in the direction of Kerens.
Investigators also examined a Bluetooth connection detected inside the truck. Court records indicate McGriff’s phone connected to the vehicle during the journey. When detectives interviewed McGriff at the Navarro County Jail in February, he denied having any acquaintances in Midlothian and denied driving there on the night in question , yet the documents confirm he was the registered owner of the phone number investigators had tracked.
Harrington’s cellphone activity raised further concerns. Investigators established that the two men had communicated with one another prior to the fire, though Harrington’s phone went completely silent during the period in which the arson took place.
DNA in the flower bed
The gasoline nozzle recovered from Wilson’s front flower bed proved to be among the most significant pieces of evidence in the investigation. According to search warrants, DNA testing conducted by the Texas DPS Crime Lab linked Harrington directly to the nozzle. Investigators maintain that this evidence, in conjunction with surveillance footage and cellphone records, was sufficient to establish probable cause against both men.
Nevertheless, the mounting evidence has yet to provide the Wilson family with the answer they need most: why. Wilson and his family declined to participate in an on-camera interview, citing the ongoing legal proceedings and harassment they have experienced on social media. They informed CBS News Texas that they have no knowledge of either suspect.
Midlothian police also declined to grant an interview, stating that the investigation remains active and that additional charges remain a possibility. For Wilson and his family, the arrests represent meaningful progress , but they do not represent closure.
