A Champaign woman has been acquitted of setting fire to a Champaign residence that her son and another man were inside earlier this year.
Bobby D. Miller, 63, of Champaign, was acquitted by a Champaign County jury last Thursday of three counts of arson, including aggravated arson and residential arson. Miller faced between six and 30 years of prison time if convicted on the related charges. The one-day trial was held before Judge Roger Webber.
Miller was arrested on Feb. 20 after emergency personnel responded to a house fire in the 1600 block of Williamsburg Drive in Champaign around 8:45 p.m. No one was injured.
Miller and her husband previously lived in the residence, but Miller testified that she had begun living in her truck when the marriage began to experience difficulty. Miller also said that her husband had begun living in hotels the previous week, and was not present at the time of the fire.
A Champaign fire marshal inspected the scene and determined there was no evidence that the fire, which started in the front corner of the garage, ignited on its own.
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The marshal indicated that the fire was ignited by “human intervention” using an external source. The marshall also noted that there was a lighter near a stack of magazines and extension cords in close proximity to where the fire began.
The marshal also testified that the flames charred the wall, grazed the garage ceiling and could have eventually spread to the main home.
Court testimony showed that Miller’s son arrived home at approximately 7:30 p.m., during which he saw his mother step into the residence through the attached garage from a kitchen door.
He testified that after going upstairs to play video games with a friend who was staying at the house temporarily, they ordered a pizza. About 30 minutes later, they heard the delivery driver banging on the door, alerting them that the garage was on fire.
Miller was arrested and interviewed by a detective after emergency services arrived. Miller told the detective she had stopped at the house for about 10 minutes to pick up medication, briefly looked at clothing in the garage and then left to go shopping. She repeatedly denied any involvement in starting the fire.
Assistant State’s Attorney Brooke Hinman argued that Miller had the means, motive and opportunity to set the fire.
Inside the garage were stacks of magazines, as well as Miller’s estranged husband’s cherished motorcycles. Hinman argued that the placement of the fire was no coincidence.
Miller’s defense attorney, Christopher Tichenor, said that the amount of belongings owned by Miller was a point of contention in the marriage, and argued there was no reason she would want to damage her own belongings.
Tichenor noted that the fire marshal was unable to officially conclude that the fire had been intentionally set, as an untouched gas can was also found in the garage, and the motorcycles appeared undisturbed.
After approximately one hour of deliberation, the jury ultimately sided with the defense and acquitted Miller on all charges.
