Career Concord Criminal Gets 40 Years To Life In 2005 Arson Murder

CONCORD, NH — A career criminal in Concord, who was found guilty of murder after setting a duplex on fire in 2005, is heading to prison again.

Richard Ellison, 49, of Concord was sentenced to 40 years to life on a second-degree murder charge for killing Robert McMillan, 85, in December 2005.

McMillan was killed after the apartment building he was living in at the time, on North State Street, across from the men’s prison, was set on fire and he was burned alive. The case was unsolved for nearly 13 years until Ellison was arrested in October 2018.

Ellison was tried in 2021 but it ended in a mistrial after a third deliberating juror was excused. He was then retried in mid-April and found guilty in late May.

Michael Garrity, the director of communications for the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, said given the defendant’s long criminal history, 38 prior convictions, the 40-year minimum sentence was warranted.

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