On March 14, 2024, after approximately four hours of deliberation, a Dauphin County jury convicted Evelyn Henderson of second degree murder and aggravated arson.  At 5:23 a.m. on June 16, 2022, Henderson made a 911 call, indicating that her husband, Carmen Henderson, was deceased because “he set himself on fire.”  As police and fire investigators conducted their work, it became apparent that Carmen Henderson had not set himself on fire.  The evidence demonstrated that, as Carmen Henderson was relaxing in his favorite chair on his back patio, the defendant snuck up behind him and held an open flame to the back of the chair until it caught fire.  The fire quickly spread to Carmen’s clothing.  He stood up and tried to shed the clothing as quickly as possible.  But, the fire engulfed him too quickly for him to escape. 

Carmen Henderson collapsed on the ground, where he died from thermal burns over his entire body.  Evelyn Henderson stood and watched as her husband burned and called her name for help.  She did not call 911 for hours.  Instead, she sat in the home trying to create a story to avoid responsibility for what she had done.  Although the motive for the crime is not entirely clear, the evidence demonstrated that the marriage had become strained after the couple lost their limousine business in 2020.  Evelyn Henderson, who was in charge of the financial aspects of the business, squandered much of the money on spa treatments and timeshares.  The two had been arguing about the loss of the business in the hours leading up to the murder.  Senior Judge Charles H. Saylor will sentence Evelyn Henderson on May 14, 2024.

Carmen Henderson was 84 years old at the time of his death.  He was a former police officer with the Susquehanna Township Police Department, and he subsequently served as the Chief Deputy Sheriff in Dauphin County for many years.