GRAND JURY
INDICTS MAN
IN FATAL FIRE
Gabriel Truitt, First Suspect's Brother,
Faces Murder Arson Counts, Still At Large
By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
ONEONTA – Gabriel Truitt, the brother of the man originally arrested in the Dec. 29 fatal fire at 5 Walling Ave., has been indicted for first-degree murder and other counts, District Attorney John Muehl said a few minutes ago.
Truitt’s brother, Terrence, spent five weeks in Otsego County Jail, but was freed Feb. 11 when it became clear to authorities he had not committed the crime.
A grand jury yesterday returned four counts against Gabriel Truitt. In addition to first-degree murder, that included one count of first-degree arson, and two counts of second-degree murder.
“Our theory is he intended to kill his ex-girlfriend,” Muehl said, “but instead he killed Mr. Heller,” referring to John Heller, 38, who lived in the third-floor apartment. That he intended to commit a murder is transferrable, even though Heller was not the intended victim, he said.
