A 12-year-old died in a Georgetown fire. Now his mom is on trial for arson
A mom suspected of conspiring to burn down a trailer — killing her 12-year-old-son who was inside — is set to face trial this week in Georgetown County.
A jury of eight women and four men was selected on Monday to hear the case of Marissa Cohen, who’s accused of planning the fire in order to cash in on an insurance policy. Opening statements are expected Tuesday as the sides discussed a few pre-trial issues after choosing a jury.
Police charged Cohen with first-degree arson, unlawful conduct towards a child and conspiracy. She faces a minimum of 30 years in prison if convicted of all counts.
Dave Sycience Coombs died in the 2014 blaze outside of Andrews. Coombs once lived at the trailer, but moved before the fire. On the day of the fire, he was leaving a nearby birthday party when it started to rain heavily.
Coombs went to his old home at the trailer for shelter.
The fire was reported around 1:30 a.m. and responders found Coombs’ body inside.
Investigators say Cohen purchased renter’s insurance for the trailer a month before the fire and moved her items into storage. She also told friends there were electrical issues in the home. An anonymous tip reported Cohen bought kerosene the morning of the fire.
Randy Collins told police that Cohen offered him $5,000 of the $25,000 from the insurance policy if he set it ablaze. Collins told his nephew, James Miller, who later died, about the offer and both were at the trailer when Miller set it on fire, investigators say.
In April 2015, Devon Coombs, Dave Coombs’ older teenage brother, fatally shot Miller in Andrews. Devon Coombs pleaded guilty in 2017 to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
In 2018, a judge sentenced Collins to 30 years in prison for his role in the arson case.
Police statements
Cohen gave two statements to police in the hours after her son died. A judge ruled that both statements could be played during the trial. In the recorded statement, Cohen told a Georgetown County Sheriff’s deputy that she dropped Coombs off at the party around 7:30 p.m. A couple of hours later, she tried to call him with no answer.
“I tried calling him about 9 something, but it kept going to voicemail,” Cohen said.
Police did not classify Cohen as a suspect during the interview, but deputy Melvin Garrett said officers felt she was acting oddly after learning about her son’s death.
Garrett went to the trailer shortly after the fire and said it was strange that the fire started on the opposite end of the trailer from the kitchen.
“I noticed a lot of kerosene heaters in the home,” Garrett testified Tuesday. “It didn’t take that many to warm a space that small.”
Garrett also asked Cohen about earlier electrical issues at the trailer and she said they were noticeable for about two months.
“It kept sparking,” she said of some electrical outlets.
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 3:49 PM.
