‘He Can’t Destroy Anyone Else’s Life Ever Again’ AT SENTENCING, HELLER’S FAMILY LASHES TRUITT By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – Erika Heller, John Heller’s sister-in-law, did not hold back as she read her victim’s impact statement at the sentencing of Gabriel Truitt in Otsego County Court this morning. “You stole John from us,” she said. “For four young boys, you stole childhood and innocence and peace of mind. We are all serving a life sentence because of…
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Gabriel Truitt
BULLETIN TRUITT GETS LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE ONEONTA – Gabriel Truitt, found guilty of first-degree murder and arson in the 2018 death of former Oneonta firefighter John Heller, was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole a few minutes ago by county Judge Brian Burns during his sentencing hearing at the Otsego County Courthouse. Developing; check back for details…
Guilty Of Arson, Murder, Truitt Sentenced Friday COOPERSTOWN – Gabriel Truitt, who was found guilty of the arson and murder of John Heller in December 2018, will be sentenced on Friday, July 17 as in-person court appearances resume at the Otsego County Courthouse. “He’s facing life without parole and that’s what I’m going to ask for,” said District Attorney John Muehl. “He should be in jail from now on.”…
Arson-Trial Testimony Creates A Tangled Tale Conflicting Stories Emerge About Night When John Heller Died In Oneonta Fire By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – The morning of Dec. 29, 2018, fire was in front of Heather Engler’s apartment door at 5 Walling Ave., Oneonta. Her stepmother, Rochelle Engler, told District Attorney John Muehl that accused arsonist Gabriel Truitt had contacted her. “He messaged me on Facebook to say that Heather’s house was on fire,” she said. “I…
Gabriel Truitt Trial Accelerant Isopropyl Alcohol, Expert Arson Witness Testifies By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special To ALLOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – Video evidence, District Attorney John Muehl said, placed accused arsonist Gabriel Truitt inside his Tru Cuts Barber Shop at 4:30 a.m. the night of the fire that killed John Heller. “He walks in the back door, turns to the right and squats in front of a cabinet,” Muehl said in his opening remarks. “He lights a lighter, takes out two bottles,…
Gabriel Truitt Trial Investigator Testimony: Accelerant Under Door By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special To ALLOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – Just before the noon break, District Attorney John Muehl brought Bill Haynes, an origin and cause investigator with Sotera Investigative Group, to the witness stand in the case against Gabriel Truitt, the Oneonta man accused of setting the fire that killed John Heller at his 5 Walling Avenue apartment in December 2018. “The way the burn and char pattern on the inside of…
Proceedings Underway In Truitt Court Case District Attorney John Muehl, above, makes his opening remarks to the jury during the opening day of the People Vs. Gabriel Truitt, now underway at the Otsego County Courthouse in Cooperstown. Truitt, seen at right, is charged with arson in the first degree and murder in the first and second degree for his alleged involvement in the fire that claimed the life of John Heller at 5 Walling Ave. in Oneonta on Dec 29,…
Jury Selection Starts In Fatal Oneonta Fire Truitt Brother, Girlfriend May Testify By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – The brother and the ex-girlfriend of Gabriel Truitt, 33, may be called to testify in the trial now underway in Otsego County Court. They are Terrence Truitt and Heather Engler, and Gabriel is the Oneonta man charged with arson and first-degree murder in the death of former Oneonta firefighter John Heller on Dec. 30, 2018. Jury selection began Tuesday,…
Truitt Murder Trial Scheduled For Jan. 20 By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – With a motion to suppress evidence rejected this morning, Gabriel Truitt, charged with the murder of John Heller after he allegedly lit his girlfriend’s Walling Avenue apartment on fire, will stand trial in Otsego County Court Jan. 20. 2020. During a hearing this morning in front of county Court Judge Brian Burns, Truitt’s lawyer Dennis Laughlin submitted motions to suppress photos and video taken…
FACES CHARGES IN FATAL FIRE TRUITT CAUGHT NEXT TO OPD He Was Visiting His Kids, Their Mom By LIBBY CUDMORE • Hometown Oneonta & The Freeman’s Journal ONEONTA – After 17 weeks on the run, Gabriel Truitt, 33, is in custody. “Our detectives developed information that he was in the area and served a search warrant at 95 Main St.” – that gray, two-story apartment house right next to Oneonta Police headquarters, said Chief Doug Brenner. There police found Truitt…