POCOMOKE CITY, Md. – A woman charged with intentionally setting a Pocomoke City home on fire in 2025 and seriously injuring a person inside has been sentenced to over a decade in prison.
Margaret Jane Benchama was sentenced Oct. 2 to 30 years in prison, with all but 15 years suspended, after pleading guilty to first-degree arson.
The charges against Benchama were filed following a Dec. 28, 2025 fire at a home on Linden Avenue in Pocomoke.
According to the Worcester County Fire Marshal's Office, emergency crews were called to the home at about 1:40 p.m. after a resident reported the house was on fire and she was trapped on the second floor. A Pocomoke City police officer, Pocomoke City EMS clinician, and Pocomoke City volunteer firefighter arrived within minutes and forced their way into the home to rescue the victim.
The victim suffered serious injuries and was flown by Maryland State Police Aviation Command to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore for treatment.
Investigators later determined the fire started inside the home and had been intentionally set.
Benchama was identified as a person of interest after the victim said she and Benchama had an argument and Benchama was told she would be evicted from the home. Benchama was located and detained at about 6:30 p.m. that day. Authorities said she admitted during an interview with investigators that she “snapped” and intentionally started the fire.
Benchama was subsequently arrested and charged with first- and second-degree arson. According to court records, she pleaded guilty to first degree arson in July.
On Friday, Oct. 2, Benchama was sentenced to 30 years with all but 15 years suspended. Following her incarceration, Benchama will be placed on five years supervised probation, according to court records.
