Rockville man to serve 25 years for attempted murder in Montgomery Village apartment fire

Robert Simms also pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless endangerment

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June 26, 2026 6:13 p.m.

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A Rockville man will serve 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to setting fire to an occupied Montgomery Village apartment in what prosecutors described as a deliberate act that placed multiple lives at risk, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said Friday in a statement.

On Thursday, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Eric Johnson sentenced Robert Simms, 36, to 45 years in prison, suspending all but 25 years, followed by five years of supervised probation. Prosecutors had sought a 40-year sentence with all but 25 years suspended, but the judge imposed an additional five years of suspended time. No restitution was ordered, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Simms pleaded guilty in February to attempted first-degree murder and three counts of reckless endangerment stemming from the April 4, 2025, fire in the 18300 block of Feathertree Way in Montgomery Village.

According to prosecutors, Simms intentionally set fire to the front door of an apartment where he was known to the occupants. Four people were inside and the fire blocked the apartment’s only exit, forcing the residents onto a balcony as flames spread.

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Investigators found gasoline was used to ignite the fire. Surveillance video showed Simms carrying a red gasoline container toward the apartment moments before a flash and flames erupted, the statement said. Earlier that day, prosecutors said, Simms threatened a woman inside the apartment after she asked him to leave, telling her he would return.

The building’s sprinkler system helped contain the fire, but the apartment was left uninhabitable. Officials estimated the damage at about $375,000.

In a statement, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy called Simms’ actions “terrifying,” saying he endangered multiple innocent people.

Lauren DeMarco, director of public affairs for the state’s attorney’s office, told Bethesda Today prosecutors pursued the attempted first-degree murder charge because Simms intentionally set the fire knowing at least one intended victim was inside the apartment, thereby consciously placing lives at risk.

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Montgomery County court records show Simms has an extensive criminal history spanning nearly two decades. Most recently, he was charged with theft in July 2023 and received a 30-day jail sentence, which was fully suspended. In a separate case stemming from January 2022, Simms pleaded guilty to second-degree escape while on a condition of release. A judge sentenced him to three years in prison, suspending all but 18 months.

Court records also show Simms was charged in May 2017 with violating probation and illegally possessing a regulated firearm, for which he was sentenced to 18 months in jail. In October 2010, he faced drug distribution and violation of probation charges. The resolution of those charges couldn’t be determined in online court records. Earlier that year, he was charged with theft of property valued at less than $100 and received a suspended 90-day jail sentence, two years of probation and a $250 fine. The fine and $57.50 in court costs were also suspended.

A spokesperson for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, which represented Simms, did not respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine