Jury deliberations underway for propane technician accused in Sterling home explosion
Jury deliberates fate of propane technician accused in Sterling home explosion
A Loudoun County jury started deliberations in the trial over a deadly home explosion in Sterling, Virginia. Roger Bentley was the propane technician charged with killing firefighter Trevor Brown in February 2024.
LOUDOUN CO., Va. - A Loudoun County jury started deliberations in the trial over a deadly home explosion in Sterling, Virginia.
Roger Bentley was the propane technician charged with killing firefighter Trevor Brown in February 2024. Bentley is facing involuntary manslaughter charges.
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The backstory:
The homeowner on Silver Ridge Drive in Sterling had a 500-gallon propane tank—which she did not use—that had a leak. Early last year, she wanted to get it fixed so she could sell the home.
For reasons we don’t know, the tank was filled on Feb. 16, 2024. Almost immediately, she smelled gas and called the company, who then sent Bentley.
When the prosecution put its case on, they said Bentley told the homeowner this was not an emergency and to let the propane seep out. He made it clear that she could stay in the home and there was no reason to call 911.
The other side:
The defense said Bentley followed his training and wasn’t aware of the leak in the underground tank and stressed that the homeowner should call him if there were issues.
They argued that the propane tank had a documented history of issues and suggested that those problems may not have been fully documented and communicated to technicians.
Hours after he left, a neighbor called 911. Firefighters evacuated the house and the explosion happened a short time later, killing Brown.
Legal perspective:
After speaking to multiple attorneys not involved in the case, the key question the jury must answer is whether 68-year-old Bentley’s actions constituted a callous disregard for human life.
"I mean it's tough and so negligence, what we normally think of for negligence, is you have a duty and you breach it. This is much more than that," said Defense Attorney Jennifer Leffler, who is not affiliated with the case. "This is a duty that you're completely ignoring. You're breaching it knowing that it could potentially cause somebody's death and you do it anyway."
What's next:
The jury wrapped up deliberations today with no verdict and will resume at 9 a.m. Thursday morning.