Thompson, CT — Following a nearly two-year investigation into a May 2024 house fire, charges have been filed against a Putnam man who is currently awaiting trial on several other major crimes in the Quiet Corner. Court records indicate he allegedly set the home on fire to kill the parents of an addict who owed him drug money.
On February 6, 2026, an arrest warrant was executed for now 42-year-old Walter Lawson of Joslin Rd, Putnam. Lawson is currently held on a combined $1,525,000 bond (before this arrest) for his role in the 2023 Day Kimball Dropoff Stabbing, 2024 Dayville Narcotics Sale to a minor, and the 2024 Fabyan Rd Stabbing. For the 210 Buckley Hill Road arson, Lawson is being held on an additional $500,000 bond for the following charges:
- Arson 1st Degree – Occupied Building (C.G.S 53a-111(a)(1))
- Conspiracy to Commit Arson 1st Degree – Occupied Building (C.G.S 53a-48/53a-111(a)(1))
- 2x Criminal Attempt at Murder (C.G.S 53a-49/53a-54a)
210 Buckley Hill Rd Fire
According to an affidavit obtained by Quiet Corner Alerts, at approximately 3:00 AM on May 13, 2024, the homeowners (a husband and wife) of 210 Buckley Hill Road, Thompson, awoke to the sound of “boom,” which sounded like “lighter fluid or gas with a match.” The residents remained in bed, thinking something had hit the house. Approximately five minutes later, their smoke alarms began sounding, and when they got up to investigate, they found their living room filling with smoke and flames at the rear of the home. As the wife dialed 911, the husband attempted to douse the flames with a garden hose, sustaining minor burns to his hands as he tried turning the outside spigot on.
Upon receipt of the 911 call, a first alarm assignment for the Community Fire Company was struck, bringing 12 area departments to the scene. Firefighters arrived to find a heavy smoke condition within the residence and extensive damage to the C (rear) siding, but the majority of the fire had been extinguished by the homeowner. Crews worked for approximately an hour to remove the exterior wall, enabling access to a fire that was burning within it along the foundation. Read our original article on the fire here.
The Fire Investigation
As part of the first alarm assignment, Thompson’s Fire Marshal’s Office was immediately notified of the fire. Fire Marshal James Seney Jr. arrived on the scene early into the fire, allowing him to observe firefighting operations and fire behavior prior to full extinguishment.
The affidavit detailed that once the fire was extinguished, Seney began a “systematic examination into the cause and origin” of the fire. The Thompson Fire Marshal’s Office quickly requested assistance from the Connecticut State Police (CSP) Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit (FEIU), which is common practice to expand the available investigative resources from local fire marshals’ offices and enable the ability to prosecute if criminal means are found. An FEIU detective and his K-9 partner “David,” who is a certified Ignitable Liquid detection dog, responded to the scene. The affidavit explained that the Fire Marshal’s Office determined “No potential competent ignition sources, including natural or providential causes, were identified within the areas of origin. Additionally, potential accidental ignition sources, including electrical systems and building utilities, were examined and eliminated as potential causes.”
During the investigation, burn pattern evidence and fire damage to the house showed the fire originated in three separate and distinct locations along the south and east walls of the residence. Seney noted the burn patterns were consistent with the presence of ignitable liquid, as well as the presence of a strong odor of gasoline present early in the fire. K-9 “David” alerted on the suspected origin locations, indicating a possible presence of ignitable liquid. Based on the evidence on the scene, both the Thompson Fire Marshal’s Office and the FEIU detective determined “the cause of the fire was incendiary in nature and the result of being set by human hands.”
Debris samples were collected from the scene and submitted to the Scientific Services Laboratory (CT Crime Lab) for analysis. The laboratory was able to confirm the presence of gasoline residue in the debris samples.
During a canvass of Buckley Hill Road on May 15, 2024, a five-gallon gasoline can was located in a residential driveway approximately 0.3 miles from the fire scene. Detectives interviewed the homeowner, who provided a sworn statement that the gas can was not his and it was not present when he had let his dog outside at approximately 9:45 PM or when he looked out his window at approximately 10:15 PM the night prior. The homeowner also explained his dog had become fidgety and woken him up between 2:30 and 3:00 AM. He did not notice anything out of the ordinary, but a short time later heard the fire trucks going by. The gas can was seized for evidence and submitted to the laboratory.
The Criminal Investigation
During witness interviews with the homeowners, it was determined that the homeowner’s son/stepson, Mark R. Racine, occasionally stayed at the residence. Mark is described by witnesses in the affidavit as a drug addict who frequently stole from family to support his drug habit. Two days after the Buckley Hill Road fire, Mark Racine was involved in a multi-hour SWAT standoff in Woodstock. In 2025, the charges were modified, and he was found guilty of Interfering with an Officer/Resisting and sentenced to 354 days in jail. Mark Racine was not present at the residence at the time of the fire.
One witness statement detailed one of Mark’s drug dealers previously showing up at the house looking for him. The dealer was a tall Black man who went by “L.” “L” is a known pseudonym for Walter Lawson of 20 Joslin Ave, Putnam. The affidavit explains Lawson is known to police and has numerous prior arrests and convictions for narcotics possession and sale, assaults, kidnapping, probation violations, and larceny dating back to 1998. Lawson is currently being held at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institute following his apprehension by the US Marshals for several major crimes. Read our original article on Lawson here. The statement went on to detail an instance several months prior where Mark told the witness that Lawson had put a gun to his mouth because he owed drug money to him.
A request for DNA analysis of the five-gallon gas can and a black Apple iPhone with a pink and silver rhinestone case that were recovered on or near the scene was submitted to the CT Crime Lab. The analysis resulted in a high probability of DNA being present from Lawson as well as other individuals.
During their investigation, Troopers reviewed previous investigations where Lawson was a person of interest and identified two parties who were present with him at the time of his last arrest. The two individuals were identified as Cassandra Heredia and James “Indy” Chenevert. Heredia is currently being held at York Correctional Institute, awaiting trial for her role in the Fabyan Road Stabbing. Chenevert, who at the time was incarcerated at Cybulski Correctional Institute on DUI charges, was also identified. A request was made to place all parties (who were incarcerated on other charges at this point in the investigation) on phone monitoring in case they communicated with each other about the fire.
As part of the investigation into the previous charges, the Eastern District Major Crime Squad had obtained a phone recording that detailed Lawson saying he was going to burn Mark Racine’s mother’s house down, and he had handed over control of his operations to Chenevert (aka “Indy”). The recording has Lawson stating:
“I’ma kill that [REDACTED] mother tonight”
“I’ma burn that [REDACTED] mother house down [REDACTED]”
“I’ma burn that [REDACTED] to the ground [REDACTED] and I’ma make sure that [REDACTED] can’t get out”
“You know I passed the torch to Indy [REDACTED]”
“[REDACTED], I made that [REDACTED] my king [REDACTED]”
“Ayo word to everything, where Tessa got stabbed at, right at the same spot, that I made him be king”
*Expletives have been redacted from statements
**The last quote is believed to be a reference to the victim and location of the Fabyan Road stabbing
In an April 4, 2025, interview with a detective, Heredia admitted she and Chenevert were on scene the night of the fire. She explained she had set the fire after pouring gas around the yard, house, and exterior shed.
In a July 10, 2025, interview with Chenevert, he stated Heredia and Lawson left the hotel room the three of them were staying in for several hours the night of the fire. When they arrived back early in the morning, he indicated Lawson had a large smile, stating he had gotten them back for him. He went on to explain that he and Heredia went to Mark Racine’s mom’s house and started a fire, but he may have lost his phone at the scene.
In November 2025, the Connecticut State Police Intelligence Operations Unit located a phone call made by Heredia at 1:17 PM on May 13, 2024 to an inmate at the Brooklyn Correctional Institute. During the call, the inmate asks, “where the fire at” to which Heredia replies “In Thompson,” followed by a broken, cryptic conversation about the incident. Heredia then passes the phone off to Lawson, where he and the inmate discuss his lost phone. The inmate goes on to say “but that [REDACTED] ain’t in your name anyway” to which Lawson replies “Nope.”
*Expletives have been redacted from statements
In a January 16, 2026, interview requested by Heredia, she changed her story, stating she initially lied out of fear for her safety from Walter Lawson. She explained that she, Lawson, and Chenevert stopped at a 24-hour Sonoco to get gas. They then drove to 210 Buckley Hill Road, at which time Lawson walked up the driveway with the can, poured the gas, and walked around the house. She stood beside Lawson as he ignited the poured gasoline and ran from the scene, where he dropped his cellphone, back to where Chenevert was waiting in a car.
On February 3, 2026, the warrant for Walter Lawson’s arrest was signed and executed on February 6, 2026, charging him with one count of Arson 1st Degree – Occupied Building (C.G.S 53a-111(a)(1)), one count of Conspiracy to Commit Arson 1st Degree – Occupied Building (C.G.S 53a-48/53a-111(a)(1)), and two counts of Criminal Attempt at Murder (C.G.S 53a-49/53a-54a).
The Connecticut State Police have indicated that additional arrests are pending in this investigation.
Quiet Corner Alerts maintains a policy of not revealing the names of victims or suspects unless they are actively being sought by law enforcement or pose a perceived threat to the public.