Published: August 1st, 2008 12:59 AM
Last Modified: August 1st, 2008 12:59 AM
A man suspected of burning down his house so he could collect the insurance money has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of arson and insurance fraud, according to the Anchorage district attorney.
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William Halliday, 61, is charged with first-degree arson, second-degree solicitation to commit arson and insurance fraud in connection with the fire in September 2007 that destroyed his house, district attorney Adrienne Bachman said.
Investigators discovered that Halliday had been talking with friends and roommates about burning the Girdwood home down for months before it burned, at one point buying candles and white gas, then asking a roommate to do the dirty work, she said.
After the roommate would not, Halliday moved his most valuable possessions into a trailer on the property and did it himself, Bachman said. A concerned neighbor, thinking Halliday might be inside, actually rushed in to make sure he was safe, she said.
Halliday's plan was to collect $95,000 in insurance money and move to Mexico, Bachman said. State Farm refused to pay.
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