Reisterstown Man Sentenced to 60 Years for Murdering Wife: Officials

A Reisterstown man was sentenced to 60 years in prison this week for the murder of his pregnant wife in 2013, according to the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Anthony Rutherford, 42, of Fox Run Court in Reisterstown, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree arson in Baltimore County Circuit Court in connection with the death of his wife, the state’s attorney reported.

On Dec. 8, 2013, first responders were dispatched to Rutherford’s home for a house fire and found his wife, Kendra Michelle Rutherford, dead on the first floor, the report said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined she had been strangled to death before the fire broke out and was three months pregnant, according to the report.

Arson investigators said that Rutherford had set the fire in the basement after her death, according to the report, which said a dog and cat perished from smoke inhalation.

Rutherford was sentenced to 60 years—30 for the arson and 30 for the murder, according to online court records. The state dropped four charges of aggravated animal cruelty.