CLEARFIELD – It took a jury only about 90 minutes to find Jonathan Mark Gallaher guilty on all charges, including second-degree murder and arson on Friday.
Gallaher, 37, of Coalport had been charged with multiple felonies in connection to a fire on Main Street in Coalport last April that caused the death of Matthew Troxell, 33, of Roseland.
The trial, which lasted three days, began with testimony from the owners of the home, Mark and Lacy Wolfe, who both said Gallaher was in their home that evening. Smoke filled their upstairs shortly after he argued with Mark Wolfe and left.
The couple and Lacy Wolfe’s father, Harold Gustafson, were able to get out, but Troxell was trapped on the second floor where he died of smoke inhalation.
In a short interview after the trial, District Attorney Ryan Sayers stated that Gallaher will get life in prison for both second-degree murder and for arson-causing death.
During closing arguments earlier on Friday, Chris Pentz, defense attorney for Gallaher tried to put doubt in the minds of jurors by pointing out that the door to the home was not locked and speculating that someone else could have gotten in and started the fire.
Gustafson was another potential arsonist, according to Pentz, because he was living in the first-floor area, which the couple was fixing up for their daughter and grandchild. Pentz claimed that this could have made Gustafson angry and thus given him motivation to start the fire.
Because of prior reports that Gallaher was at the Wolfe’s home to buy drugs, Pentz commented that “no drug addict is going to burn down the place where he gets drugs.”
Pentz also pointed to video footage of the home after Gallaher left, stating that the fire appeared to glow shortly after Gallaher left, but then dimmed before glowing hot again, because someone still inside had thrown an accelerant on it.
First District Attorney Leanne Nedza countered this in her closing arguments by saying the fire increased at this point because at that same time, the Wolfe’s were opening and going out a second-floor window, giving the fire a burst of oxygen.
She also scoffed at the idea that Gustafson would be angry about his own granddaughter and great-grandchild moving in with him.
She reviewed the testimony and video footage that linked the events of that evening.
Mark and Lacy Wolfe testified Gallaher was on their porch and followed them inside their home, and up the stairs.
After arguing with him, Mark Wolfe pushed Gallaher down a few stairs and then threw a cup with liquid at him.
Video from a nearby camera then picked up Gallaher leaving and shortly after the glow of a fire being visible. Gallaher walks down to a friend’s house near a bar.
Misty Rowles and Marshall Waite both testified that Gallaher came to their home. He was wet enough from the beverage that they gave him a towel.
He told them he lit a coat on fire at the Wolfe’s home. As they are talking, the fire whistle went off and they realized the Wolfe’s place was on fire. They then “kick” him out.
“Because they knew he lit that place on fire,” Nedza said.
Next Gallaher went into the bar where he told people that he didn’t intend for Troxell to die, and at one point, he was seen crying in the bathroom.
When police initially talk with Gallaher, he is not questioned as a suspect because they hadn’t yet discovered it was an arson case.
By 2 a.m., the police spoke with Gallaher again because “all roads were leading to the defendant.”
As for someone else setting the fire, Nedza stated that the Wolfes and or Troxell would not set a fire and then go upstairs where they couldn’t get out.
“The person setting the fire is going to be the one leaving the house. That’s what makes sense.”
She went on to say the commonwealth didn’t need to prove that Gallaher intended to burn the whole house down, just that he started the fire.
She went on to speculate that Gallaher was mad he wasn’t welcome at their home any longer and was going to make it harder for them to finish fixing it up by starting a fire there.
“I don’t think he meant for the whole house to go up.”
In all, Gallaher was guilty of second-degree murder, three counts of criminal attempt/second-degree murder, arson-causing death, four counts of arson-danger of death or bodily injury, arson endangering property, four counts of aggravated arson-person present, causing a catastrophe, four counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of criminal mischief, all felonies, as well as four misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.
Gallaher will be sentenced within 60 days.