Robinson was to make his first court appearance Wednesday, but was unable to attend due to hospitalization under a mental health warrant
A Calgary man charged with arson after an explosion set four townhomes aflame seemed atypical to some neighbours, but not necessarily suspicious.
Gavin Peter Robinson, 40, is charged with arson and disregard for human life, and police said Tuesday that further charges are expected.
He is accused of intentionally setting a fire in his home with an accelerant, causing the explosion and fire in the late hours of Oct. 5, according to police.
Robinson lived in the unit with a partner, who goes by Missy, and a dog named Logan, said Gladys Betonio-Werbisky, a neighbour who lost her home in the blaze.
Gladys and her family had a feeling the fire wasn’t accidental before news came of its cause, having been out of town when the incident unfolded.
“It’s definitely not a freak accident for such an explosion to occur,” she said.
“Regardless of how dark of a space you’re in, there is still that intentional thought — and the fact that he knew that it was a neighborhood of community, of family.”
Affected residents want ‘justice’
Robinson was to make his first court appearance Wednesday, but was unable to attend because he is hospitalized under a mental-health warrant.
Duty counsel Ed Washington appeared on Robinson’s behalf and asked Justice John Bascom to adjourn the case for a week.
Washington indicated Robinson has applied for Legal Aid but a lawyer has not yet been appointed.
“I understand Mr. Robinson is in hospital and unable to attend today,” Washington told the Calgary Court of Justice Judge.
He said while the process to have Legal Aid provide him with a lawyer had begun, “I don’t imagine counsel has been appointed yet.”
“I’m going to ask that it return to this court on Oct. 16, and hopefully Mr. Robinson will be well enough to attend at that time.”
Whether mental health was a factor or not, Gladys said the system should bring justice to the tragedy, “and bring justice to the trauma that it has brought to all the victims.”
Having lived there for four years, Gladys observed that her neighbours kept to themselves, but seemed happy.
“They go in and out of their car, go straight into their home, and that is it,” she said.
Aside from a recent conversation with Missy, Gladys had very little interaction with the two, but said Robinson worked long hours as a carpenter.
“There probably has been some red flags, like our neighbours were not your typical type of couple,” said Gladys. “I don’t think I’m the only one who noticed that.”
Owen Defoe, another resident whose home is uninhabitable from the flames, said he knew of Robinson but the two did not have a personal relationship and had rarely spoken.
On Tuesday, Defoe also questioned whether Robinson experienced some form of mental illness — though he does not hold sympathy for his neighbour under the circumstances, should the allegations be proven in court.
“It’s the lack of respect and care for the people that were living in this unit. He knew that there were multiple families, young kids . . . he had every opportunity to stop what he was doing,” Defoe said.
Multiple families lost everything
With four Las Americas Villas N.E. townhomes gone, residents are still coming to grips with what happened.
Despite having lost many valuable items, sentimental and otherwise, Gladys’s family is grateful they weren’t home. Gladys was away with her two-year-old son, while her husband, Greg, and elderly mother were also away.
“Our unit is the one in the far right corner, and it was completely demolished. I don’t think (any) of us would have survived,” she said.
“I am in complete disbelief, I am very angry. I’m very angry at the act of selfishness that he’s done and the trauma that he’s caused for all of the people in the community,” Gladys said.
Six people were taken to hospital following the incident, with no deaths reported.
“It’s disheartening, really, to think that the gentleman felt that there was no way out of this and thought this was his only solution,” Pena said after hearing the news on Tuesday.
Earlier this week Defoe said, “I didn’t lose everything because I still have my family, right? This could have gone tremendously, tremendously bad.
“When the fire happened, all we had is our shirt and our socks on,” he said. “Four houses are gone.”
— With files from Matt Scace, Kevin Martin and Gavin Young