Roger Bentley faces four charges, including involuntary manslaughter. The jury must decide if his actions were so callous he disregarded people’s lives.
STERLING, Va. — Did Roger Bentley know there was a gas leak? In a trial that will decide if he was guilty of involuntary manslaughter after a house explosion in Sterling killed volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, attorneys on both sides of the argument put the question to the test.
A Loudoun County jury started deliberations early Wednesday afternoon after eight days of testimony. Prosecutors argued Bentley failed to take steps to prevent tragedy, while the defense say their client followed the company policy.
The Commonwealth scrutinized the former Southern States Cooperative technician’s actions the day he responded to a home on Silver Ridge Drive in February 2024. They say his lack of action and carelessness allowed a propane tank to leak a dangerous amount of propane.
“It could have and should have been avoided,” Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Eden Holmes told jurors during closing arguments. “He had chosen stupidly, criminally and negligently to do nothing.”
Holmes said hours before the explosion, a Southern States delivery driver pumped 125 gallons into homeowner Kelle Woods’ 500-gallon underground propane tank as part of a safety test. Woods called the company because she wanted to repair the tank that heated the pool because she wanted to sell the home.
Bentley responded after the delivery driver called about concerns of a gas odor. Woods also expressed concerns about the smell when Bentley arrived.
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Boyle argued that based on comments captured on home surveillance video to let the gas “seep out of the ground and be on their merry way,” Bentley was aware of a gas leak but avoided the risks before he left for another call.
Based on testimony and remarks on home surveillance videos, Boyle calls Bentley’s actions criminally negligent because he not only told Woods there was no emergency, but said that calling the firefighters and alerting neighbors were not required.
“The defendant created a situation that was so dangerous that the only way out of it was a miracle,” Boyle said to the jury.
The defense pushed back with the argument that Bentley has become the fall guy. They place part of the blame on Woods, who they say knew the propane tank had issues since 2017 and failed to alert Bentley before the scheduled test.
“Had she paid that, we wouldn't be sitting here today,” said defense attorney Kelly King. “Trevor Brown would still be here today. She didn't prioritize the tank.”
King said by the time her client arrived, the delivery driver’s concerns dwindled. She argued Bentley smelled a faint residual odor, something he expected because of the recent propane delivery. She stressed he conducted his own tests that showed no signs of a gas leak at the time.
“You don’t base conclusions on odor because it’s subjective,” she added.
Defense attorneys also poked holes in the fire investigation by arguing about the lack of questioning on the homeowner. King claimed Woods “mis-relayed” about the gas leak claiming she heard it from Bentley when it came from the delivery driver instead.
Bentley is also charged with three misdemeanors of unlawful release of hazardous materials, failure to maintain records, and failure to control or mitigate hazardous materials.