The D.C. Arsonist

True Crime All The Time

Emash Digital / Wondery

True Crime, Truecrime, Podcast, Documentary, Murder, Exhibit C, Serial, Killers, Society & Culture

4.7 • 13.6K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2025

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 2003 and 2004, the DC area experienced multiple house fires with suspicious similarities. The fires resulted in two deaths and significant property destruction. An ATF-led task force identified the arsonist’s signature incendiary device, and the same DNA profile was found at several fires.

Join Mike and Gibby as they discuss the D.C. Arsonist. Thomas Anthony Sweatt was eventually linked to the fires through DNA evidence. He divulged to police implicating him in over 300 fires and more deaths than they knew about. But it was a series of letters that Sweatt wrote to a journalist that really gives insight into why he did what he did.

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Transcript

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1:12.6	purchase. Hello, everyone. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 457 of the True Crime All the Time podcast.
1:53.0	I'm Mike Ferguson and with me as always is my partner in true crime.
1:56.8	Mike Gibson.
1:57.7	Gibby, how are you?
1:59.2	Hey man, I'm doing good.
2:00.2	How about you?
2:00.9	I'm doing great. Having another good week.
2:04.5	It's a busy week for you and I.
2:07.6	It is.
	...

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