‘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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Truitt Guilty Of Arson, Murder ‘I Had To Do It For John,’ Fiancee Declares At Verdict By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.ALLOTSEGO.com 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…
Job Corps Honors Fallen Hero Heller Chris Kuhn, Director of the Oneonta Job Corps Academy, addresses family, friends and firefighters gathered in ‘the octagon,’ a hallway interchange on the third floor of Oneonta Job Corps named in honor of the late John D. Heller, who lost his life in December rescuing his fiancee and their nephews from the Walling Street arson. “We love him and we miss him.” said Kuhn. “It is our hope that when people walk through this space…
Words Like ‘Love, Courage, Loss’ Used To Recall Fallen Hero Family, Friends Reflect On John Heller, As 350 Pack Funeral In Foothills Atrium By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – “You spent your last day on Earth saving others,” his sister-in-law, Erika Heller, declared this afternoon at John Heller’s funeral. “We are so proud.” Erika, along with John’s fiance Amber Roe, his Oneonta Job Corps colleague Kathleen Feeney, state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, and the Rev. Judith Thistle,…