(UPDATE, 6 p.m.) The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
(5:25 p.m.)The fate of a man who was accused of setting a family home on fire is now in the hands of the jury.
Daniel Patrick Doran is charged with arson for a house fire in January of 2016.
During closing arguments, the state said that Doran turned his phone off for an hour and 45 minutes.
The state says he did this so he could drive back from Helena and light the fire.
Detectives obtained cell phone records for Doran, which showed that his cell phone was "pinging" off of towers in Helena at around 11:05 p.m. on January 14th. At about 12:50 a.m. on January 15th, Doran’s cell phone began to ping off of towers just outside of Great Falls. Phone records then showed Doran’s phone pinging off of towers all the way back to Helena at 1:44 a.m.
The state has surveillance video from several businesses near the house of a dark-colored truck consistent with Doran’s vehicle that drove past the home at about 12:34 a.m. on January 15th, after the fire was started.
But the defense says Doran did not drive his truck to Helena that night, he drove his wife’s car.
And the only reason that he left the Helena area that night is because he picked up a hitchhiker and was giving him a ride to the Wolf Creek area.
The defense also said that more than three people had keys to the family home.
We will update you when a jury has come back with a decision.
(OCTOBER 28, 2016) Daniel Patrick Doran has been charged with arson and theft in connection with a Great Falls house fire that happened in January 2016.
The fire happened on January 15th at 4901 3rd Avenue South.
The house had been vacant for several months after the owner passed away, and family members – including Doran – had been trying to sell the house, along with a "significant amount of artwork" inside the home.
Court documents say that investigators determined that the fire had started in a bedroom, but found no objects inside the room capable of starting the fire, but did find the presence of ignitable fluid. Investigators also noted the house had no signs of forced entry.
Doran was one of only three people that had access to the house.
After the fire, Great Falls Fire Rescue received a phone call from a person determined to be a reliable source who claimed that Doran had set the fire, and that he had set fires in the past when he needed money, according to court documents.
The caller also provided investigators with information about a previous attempt to set the house on fire, stating that several weeks earlier, there was cardboard and a lamp set up in the basement of the house in an apparent attempt to start a fire.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that Doran was linked to at least one other fire investigation in Great Falls.
When questioned, Doran told authorities that he had been in Helena when the fire broke out.
Court documents state that Doran checked in to a Helena hotel on the evening of January 14th, and checked out at about 9 a.m. on January 15th.
Detectives then obtained cell phone records for Doran, which showed that his cell phone was "pinging" off of towers in Helena at around 11:05 p.m. on January 14th. At about 12:50 a.m. on January 15th, Doran’s cell phone began to ping off of towers just outside of Great Falls. Phone records then showed Doran’s phone pinging off of towers all the way back to Helena at 1:44 a.m.
Court documents state that video surveillance from several businesses near the house show a dark-colored truck consistent with Doran’s vehicle at about 12:34 a.m. on January 15th.
Doran is charged with one felony count of arson, and one felony count of theft.
div[data-mml-type=”relatedcategory”]{border: thin solid #e7e7e7;} .categories-right-icon{display: none;} .stories-area > hr{margin: 0px;} .stories-area > iframe {border: white;} div[data-mml-type]{ overflow: hidden; } div[data-mml-status=”draft”] {display: none !important;} div.fb-post span, div.fb-post span iframe{max-width: 100%;} div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].left, div[data-mml-type=”instagram”].left, div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].left{ float: left; position: relative; overflow:hidden; max-width:100%;}div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].right,div[data-mml-type=”instagram”].right,div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].right{ float: right; position: relative; overflow:hidden; max-width:100%;}div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].center,div[data-mml-type=”instagram”].center,div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].center{ width: 100% !important; overflow:hidden; text-align: center;}div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].center iframe,div[data-mml-type=”twitter”].center twitterwidget,div[data-mml-type=”instagram”].center iframe,div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].center iframe{ margin: auto !important;}div[data-mml-type=”facebook”].center > span{ margin: auto !important; display: block !important;} .mml-display-none{display: none !important;} div[data-mml-type=”gmaps”], div[data-mml-type=”youtube”] {position:relative; width:100%; padding-bottom:56.25%;} div[data-mml-type=”gmaps”] iframe, div[data-mml-type=”youtube”] iframe {position:absolute; left:0; top:0;} div[data-embed-type=”clip”],div[data-mml-type=”clip”]{position: relative;padding-bottom: 56.25%;width: 100%;box-sizing: border-box;} div[data-embed-type=”clip”] iframe { position: absolute;}}div[data-embed-type=”social”], {position: relative;padding-bottom: 56.25%;width: 100%;box-sizing: border-box;} div[data-embed-type=”social”] iframe,div[data-mml-type=”clip”] iframe { position: absolute;}}.frankly-img{max-width:100%;}
