Truitt Guilty Of Arson, Murder
‘I Had To Do It For John,’
Fiancee Declares At Verdict
By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.ALLOTSEGO.com
![](https://www.allotsego.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/HELLER-ROE-scaled.jpg)
COOPERSTOWN – It took just over two hours for the jury to find Gabriel Trutt, 33, guilty of arson and murder in the Dec. 29, 2018, fatal fire at 5 Walling Ave., Oneonta, that killed John Heller.
Heller, a former Oneonta fireman, got his four nephews and fiancée to safety before he was trapped in the third-floor apartment and succumbed to the smoke. He was hailed as a hero.
“I’m thrilled, but this isn’t about whether I won or lost,” said District Attorney John Muehl. “This really is justice. He was guilty and the evidence was overwhelming. We can’t bring John back, but we did as much as we could for him.”
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