Jurors found that a Bangor man killed two people a year ago by setting the box truck where they were sleeping on fire.
After deliberating for about two hours Friday afternoon, the jury of nine women and three men found John De St. Croix , 26, guilty of murder, felony murder and arson in the deaths of Michael Bridges, 43, and Desiree York, 36, who were sleeping in the back of a box truck the night of March 28, 2018. The truck, owned by Dunnett appliance store, was located at the Penobscot Plaza shopping center on Washington Street when De St. Croix allegedly set it on fire.
De St. Croix showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
The victims’ family members wept quietly as the decision was announced.
The trial began Tuesday. De St. Croix did not take the stand in his own defense.
A sentencing date is not expected to be set for several weeks.
[Man accused of burning 2 to death in box truck last year goes on trial]
Michael Bridges’ brother, Mark Bridges, 48, of Bangor, said outside the courthouse after the verdict was announced that he had been “a nervous wreck all day” waiting for the trial to conclude.
“I’m happy,” he said. “Justice is served. Desiree and Michael can rest in peace now, rest in peace.”
York’s relatives left the courthouse without speaking to the media.
De St. Croix and the victims were members of Bangor’s homeless community who spent the late afternoon and evening of March 28, 2018, hanging and out and drinking under the Penobscot Bridge. At some point after 8:30 p.m., Bridges and York took sleeping bags and went into the back of the box truck to sleep.
Autopsies showed that Bridges, who went by the nickname Georgia, and York died of smoke inhalation. Both suffered second- and third-degree burns over 30 to 40 percent of their bodies, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Funte testified.
Investigators from the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office concluded that the fire was set near the rear driver’s side tire using cardboard and other debris. Tests concluded that an accelerant similar to lighter fluid was found at the scene and might have been used to fuel the flames.
Surveillance videos from security cameras behind the plaza showed a person who could not be identified move between a dumpster behind Dunnett and the fire that night shortly before 10 p.m. A few minutes later, De St. Croix could be identified walking away from the fire carrying tools that Dunnett employees had apparently left in the box truck.
Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea said in her closing statement that it was “savage and brutal to cause someone to die that way in an inferno.”
The prosecutor told the jury it could eliminate as possible suspects two other homeless men who were drinking that evening with De St. Croix and the victims. Both men testified they were under the bridge sleeping but woke up after the fire started.
[People who were drinking with victims killed in Bangor box truck fire deny setting it]
“The surveillance video paints a picture that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that John De St. Croix is guilty of murder, guilty of felony murder and guilty of arson,” Zainea said. “That video shows that John De St. Croix is guilty of causing Michael’s death and Desiree’s death.”
Defense attorney Jeffrey Toothaker of Ellsworth disagreed. He told the jury in his closing argument that there was no evidence that proved who started the fire. He also said there was no forensic evidence found at the scene that linked De St. Croix to the fire.
“Think about what the videos don’t show,” he said. “They don’t show the area on the other side of the fire. Who started this fire is the key issue, and they just have not proven it was my client.”
De St. Croix called 911 at 10:01 p.m. to report the fire, according to testimony. In an interview with Bangor police detectives several hours later, which was played in court Tuesday, De St. Croix said he heard banging from inside the truck and recognized the woman’s voice. He also told police he heard a man shouting for help, but the fire prevented him from unlocking the truck.
[Man accused of burning 2 people alive told dispatcher box truck was ‘up in a blaze’]
During a subsequent interview, De St. Croix allegedly told police he intended to hurt Bridges, not York, but jurors did not hear that interview. Attorneys agreed that the alleged confession took place after De St. Croix asked for an attorney.
De St. Croix will continue to be held at the Penobscot County Jail as he has been since his arrest March 30, 2018.
A murder charge carries between 25 years and life in prison. The felony murder and arson charges carry up to 30 years in prison.