The man who was killed in a fire this weekend in Northfield, Massachusetts, was on trial for allegedly sexual assaulting three children, authorities said Tuesday as they identified him.
William Willey, a 47-year-old from Montague, faced 19 charges over two alleged sexual assaults of children in 2019 and 2020, according to the Northwest District Attorney's Office. He was due back in court Monday, but the jury will now be dismissed.
One of Willey's alleged victims had already testified in the trial, which opened Thursday, prosecutors said.
"This is a tragedy for everyone involved, including the victims in the case, one of whom had testified in court last week and another two and their family members who were set to testify this week," said Assistant District Attorney Anne Yereniuk in a statement.
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The fire broke out on East Street in Northfield about 7 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters found heavy smoke and flames at a repair garage in a single-story building, the state fire marshal's office has said. The building where the fire started was destroyed, officials said, and a nearby garage and a property across the street were also damaged.
Willey had rented a shop at the property where the fire broke out, according to prosecutors; his car was parked there and his body was found in the rubble.
The cause of Willey's death, and the cause of the fire, remained under investigation Tuesday, according to prosecutors.
Among the charges Willey faced were seven counts of aggravated rape and abuse of a child and a count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older. He was also accused of giving alcohol and marijuana to a minor and giving harmful materials to a minor.
