Describing ‘Nightmare’ Of Finding Babies Dead, Mom Takes Stand In Trial Pausing frequently to wipe away tears, Kimberly Steeley took the stand for nearly two hours to testify in her own defense against charges that she smothered her two infant children, Bonde and Liam, in June 2018. Bonde died on June 5, the night she was brought home from the hospital, after Steeley said she placed the infant face-up on her lap and fell asleep. 11 days later, she was…
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District Attorney John Muehl - Page 2
Did Mother Asphyxiate Twins – Or Did Father? Opening Statements Set Up Scenario: Which Drugged Parent Responsible? The manslaughter trial of Kim Steeley, 27, of Decatur – seen weeping in court today – opened with two contrasting scenarios in Otsego County Court this morning. In his opening statement, District Attorney John Muehl blamed the mother for the June 2018 deaths of twins Liam and Bonde, born prematurely: “The real problem was, she (Steeley) was high and she nodded off on…
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…
BULLETIN TRUITT GUILTY IN ARSON, MURDER COOPERSTOWN – Shortly after noon today, a jury found Gabriel Truitt guilty on all four counts of arson and murder charges in the Dec. 29, 2018, early morning fire at 5 Whalling Ave., Oneonta, where former Oneonta firefighter John Heller died. This is a developing story; please check back this afternoon for details. RECAP OF THE CASE Proceedings Underway in Truitt Case Investigator Testimony: Accelerant Under Door Accelerant Isopropyl Alcohol, Arson Expert Testifies Girlfriend:…
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,…
DA: Mom Fell Asleep, Smothered Twin Babies By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – Kimberly Steeley, the woman accused of smothering her twins Bonde and Liam in 2018, did so by falling asleep while in bed with the children, District Attorney John Muehl told Judge John Lambert during a suppression hearing in Otsego County Court on Monday. “She told police she nodded off in bed with them,” he said. “She was reckless, and there is evidence that she…
Four Arraigned On Worcester Man’s Murder At Arraignment, 17-Year-Old Granted Bail, Ankle Bracelet COOPERSTOWN – Anias Soto, 17, one of the four people indicted in the October murder of Kenneth Robinson, was granted a reduction in her bail, under the conditions that she wear an ankle monitor, during an arraignment this afternoon, according to District Attorney John Muehl. Soto was believed to be outside the home when the murder occurred. Her bail was reduced to $2,500.…