This video is no longer available.
A Loudoun County, Virginia, jury is now deliberating in the involuntary manslaughter trial of a former propane service technician who visited a home in Sterling shortly before it exploded Feb. 16, 2024, killing volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown.
During closing arguments Wednesday morning, Loudoun County prosecutor Eden Holmes told jurors, “This was a tragedy, because of a crime.”
Holmes said “the actions and failures to act” by Roger Bentley, who was working for Southern States Cooperative, caused the explosion at the home on Silver Ridge Drive, killing Brown and injuring 11 others.
Holmes said Bentley was legally required to mitigate 125 gallons of propane that was leaking from an underground tank used to heat a swimming pool. Holmes said Bentley told the homeowner, Kelley Woods, that any propane she smelled wasn’t an emergency, that she shouldn’t contact the fire department and that he would handle the situation the following week.
Prosecutors said Bentley didn’t check in the home’s basement, or even if ask if the home had a basement. Several witnesses testified in trial that propane, which is heavier than air, pools in lower-lying areas.
Holmes said Bentley “left a bomb” instead of staying on scene, even as the homeowner said she still smelled propane.
Several hours later, at 8:24 p.m., the home exploded.
‘Bentley didn’t know there was a leak — it’s just that simple’
In the defense team’s closing argument, attorney Kelly King said her client wasn’t aware that there was a leak in the underground tank, despite taking measurements in the area.
King said Woods didn’t tell Bentley that her tank had a leak that she had been aware of for years. Bentley arrived in the late afternoon that Friday after another technician smelled propane.
“The only one who knew her tank was leaking was Kelley Woods, but she didn’t tell a single person on the 16th that there was a leak,” King said, adding that another technician informed her in 2021 that the tank was unsafe and needed to be replaced.
“She did not prioritize this tank,” King said. “If she had spent the $5,200 to replace the tank, Roger Bentley wouldn’t be there and Trevor Brown would still be here.”
King said Bentley has a spotless record, along with 39 years of experience, and would not have left a home if he knew there was a propane leak. She said if he had made any mistakes, none would rise to the “callous disregard” standard required to convict someone of involuntary manslaughter.
In opening statements, the defense told jurors that Bentley was “the fall guy.”
“They needed someone to blame,” King said in her closing argument, referring to prosecutors. “This is not about how many uniforms they put in this room, they’re bringing the weight of the government.”
Circuit Court Judge James Plowman sent jurors to begin their deliberations around lunchtime.
Bentley was indicted on involuntary manslaughter, a felony and three misdemeanor violations of the fire prevention code, in the blast that killed Brown, a member of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company. Bentley was released on bond before trial.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
