VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Carolyn Mansfield of Vicksburg pleaded guilty on Tuesday to second-degree murder and arson in connection with a fatal house fire earlier this year.
Mansfield appeared before Judge James Chaney to enter her plea, admitting to her role in the February 2024 death of 75-year-old Ernest Gleese. She and co-defendant Albert Thomas were initially charged with first-degree murder and arson following an argument over drugs that allegedly led them to set fire to Gleese’s home on Speed Street.
In October, a Grand Jury indicted both Mansfield and Thomas. Following the fire, Vicksburg Fire Chief Derrick Stamps noted the blaze appeared suspicious. The State Fire Marshal’s Office and Vicksburg Police Department launched a joint investigation, which led to the pair’s arrest.
Mansfield will be sentenced by Judge Chaney on July 8. She faces a maximum sentence of 40 years. Albert Thomas, her co-defendant, is scheduled to go to trial starting July 14.
