Accused Arsonists Have All Charges Forwarded To Doylestown In Fatal Croydon Fire
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Gavin Montoya and Charles Vandenberg are going to Doylestown to plead their case on arson charges from a fire that claimed the life of Fire Police Captain Ed Margavich in August of last year. The preliminary hearing took place today in front of District Justice David Chiciletti, who found more than enough evidence to hold both defendants on all charges.
Vandenberg is out on bail while Montoya was paraded through a gauntlet of firefighters and fire police to get to the Bristol Borough Courthouse. He was wearing a yellow jumpsuit with INMATE on the back. Testifying against him was his alleged partner in crime that night Tom Parker. Parker admitted to being high and driving Montoya to the Cedar Avenue house, where the fire was set.
Parker admitted that he was told by Montoya that he was going to “Burn Jim”. Parker said that slang meant that he was going to rob him. Parker testified that He regularly got high with Montoya and on the night of the arson fire he was high on drugs.
Police were shown text messages between Vandenberg and Montoya planning to use a Roman Candle or a road flare to burn a van parked in the driveway. Vandenberg admitted to police he was “Involved in the slightest”. He wanted to burn clothes that were in the back of a van. That van was completely engulfed in fire and police testified that it took a very short time for the flames to get to the house. Five people were evacuated safely.
Parker admitted that Montoya removed a license plate from the vehicle after the fire was set. It was later learned in testimony that the plate removed was a California Temporary Tag.
Parker , who is a witness for the prosecution testified in an orange jumpsuit with INMATE stenciled on the back. As a result of this fire, a first responder, Captain Ed Margavich died after complications from a fall related to this fire. Had this fire never happened, Margavich would not have died. Neither defendant offered any testimony and they presented no witnesses.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com Degendant Charles Vandenberg walks out of court .
State Senator Frank Farry (r Bucks) is outraged at this and of the fact that the three defendants are not charged with murder. He has introduced legislation to change that. You can read about that and the prior legal wrangling that caused the delay in the proceedings here.