Tonya Bundick, convicted in infamous 2012-2013 spree that destroyed 62 buildings, completed prison sentence this week
ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va. — Tonya Susan Bundick, who along with her former fiancé ignited a reign of terror across Virginia’s Eastern Shore more than a decade ago, was released from prison this week after serving her full sentence for a string of arsons that captivated the nation and inspired a bestselling book.
Ms. Bundick, 52, of Hopeton, was released on Wednesday after completing her sentence with a scheduled release date of Sept. 24, 2025, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections. She was convicted of setting fire to 62 properties across Accomack County between November 2012 and April 2013, working alongside her then-fiancé, Charles Robert Smith III, also known as Charlie Applegate.
The arson spree began on Nov. 12, 2012, when an abandoned house burned to the ground, marking the start of what would become a five-month nightmare for residents of the rural Eastern Shore. By the time the pair was arrested on April 1, 2013, some 77 fires had been set, mostly targeting abandoned or unoccupied buildings across 455 square miles.
The case broke when state police officers monitoring a home on Airport Drive in Melfa spotted Smith running to a residence, setting it on fire, and then fleeing back to a gold minivan driven by Ms. Bundick. Smith, a former captain of the Tasley Volunteer Fire Department who also owned an auto body shop, confessed to investigators after his arrest.
The crimes exposed the complex dynamics of a relationship gone awry in a struggling rural community. Smith admitted to setting most of the fires, while Ms. Bundick maintained she was unaware of the extent of his activities. During testimony, Smith described still being in love with Ms. Bundick and said he would rather die than live without her.
Ms. Bundick was ultimately sentenced to 10.5 years in prison in 2014 after being convicted in multiple trials. She entered an Alford plea on 61 of the charges, meaning she did not admit guilt but acknowledged there was sufficient evidence for conviction. Smith was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to 68 counts of arson and conspiracy.
Smith was released from prison in October 2023, nearly two years before Ms. Bundick. According to local reports, Ms. Bundick severed all ties with Smith and married someone else while incarcerated.
The arsons caused approximately $2 million in damage and left lasting scars on the tight-knit Eastern Shore community. Many residents expressed frustration that Ms. Bundick’s sentence was not longer, given the psychological trauma and property destruction the fires caused. No one was physically injured in the fires.
The case captured national attention and became the subject of Monica Hesse’s 2017 book “American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land,” which explored how economic desperation and personal relationships contributed to the crimes. The book examined how the arsons paradoxically brought the community together even as they tore it apart.
The fires exhausted volunteer firefighters who responded night after night to blazes across the county, with some residents admitting years later that they felt a strange sense of purpose during the crisis.
The 2012-2013 arson spree highlighted the community’s vulnerabilities and the complex social dynamics of a region grappling with change and provided a window into the intersection of love, desperation, and destruction on the Eastern Shore.
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Weren’t these fires set because the towns and or counties did and still do nothing about abandoned structures especially ones falling down.
Are you so dim as to think that no one owns them? I guess you wish to tell them what they can do with their structure on their property? I bet you are a Come-Here too.
Charcoal Charlie and Bonfire Bundick….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn3zOfQJlUg&list=RDCn3zOfQJlUg&start_radio=1