Woman charged as husband’s accomplice in Eastern Shore fire, homicide
A woman was charged Monday as an accomplice to her spouse in connection with a homicide and fire at a home in Accomack County last December.
Virginia State Police announced the arrest of Wendy Dawn Taylor, 46, of New Church, on Friday night. She is being held in Worcester County, Maryland, on an unrelated charge. Taylor is the spouse of Gary Fleig Sr., who was charged in December with arson, first- and second-degree murder, and several firearms-related crimes.
Police responded to a residential structure fire Dec. 4, 2021, near the 6000 block of Lankford Highway in Oak Hill. Firefighters working to extinguish the blaze found Edward Bruce Mears Jr., 62, dead inside the burning home.
Mears, a local musician, had a gunshot wound to the face and a deep laceration on his neck, said Michelle Anaya, spokesperson for the state police.
Fleig also faces charges from multiple incidents over a span of four days. They include a Dec. 3 shooting and arson in Pocomoke, Maryland, and a Dec. 6 homicide in Accomack that left 43-year-old Maurice Lamont Fiddermon dead. Taylor has not been charged in a connection with those crimes.
The investigation is ongoing.
Caitlyn Burchett, 727-267-6059, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
