Man Pleads Guilty To Murder For Setting Fatal Buckingham Fire

DOYLESTOWN, PA — A Dunmore man will spend the rest of his life in prison for setting a fire in Buckingham Township that killed his girlfriend's 81-year-old father in 2021.

Christopher Gillie, 62, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to first-degree murder, attempted murder and related charges for a Dec. 5, 2021, house fire on Private Drive that killed Julius Drelick. Drelick’s wife, Phyllis, was able to escape by fleeing the burning home.

As part of a negotiated plea deal, Gillie was sentenced by Court of Common Pleas Judge Raymond McHugh to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Julius Drelick's murder and a consecutive sentence of 25 years to life for the attempted murder of Drelick’s wife.

Additionally, Gillie was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $724,658.30.

“In a mere matter of minutes, the defendant turned a loving home into a raging inferno, killing Julius Drelick and condemning Phyllis Drelick to live out the remainder of her life in despair,” Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber said. “The defendant used fire as a weapon, but his heart was as cold as ice. He deserves nothing less than to be behind bars for the rest of his life.”

In a victim impact statement, Julius Drelick's daughter detailed the joy of her childhood, memories of her father teaching her and her sisters how to skip stones in the creek and a home filled with music.

Another victim impact statement from the daughter of Phyllis Drelick was read by Deputy DA Furber.

In her statement, she said prior to the fire her mother was full of life, was social and outgoing and loved to travel. Her mother would “live life to the fullest and do something fun every day,” her daughter wrote.

But her mother was left devastated the night her home was torched, and her husband was murdered. She struggled with nightmares, was deeply depressed and slowly became very angry. It eventually took a toll on her health and she died four months later.

“Her beautiful life was cut short by a selfish self-centered unfeeling monster,” she wrote.

Gillie also pleaded guilty to theft by unlawful taking, aggravated arson, criminal mischief, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, persons not to possess firearms, burglary and criminal trespassing. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of arson endangering persons.

In May, the District Attorney’s Office filed notice reserving its right to seek the death penalty against Gillie, listing three aggravating factors the Commonwealth would seek to prove should it choose to pursue the death penalty against him.

At 3:07 a.m., county dispatchers reported a fire at 5777 Private Drive, Buckingham Township, with information that two elderly residents may be trapped inside. Upon arrival, police and fire units found a female resident outside of the house, but she stated that her husband was still inside.

The house was fully engulfed in flames and smoke and initial efforts to gain access were unsuccessful. Fire personnel were able to finally reach the second homeowner, who was unresponsive. The man, identified as 81-year-old Julius Drelick, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Drelicks used a chair lift to get up and down the stairs, but the fire knocked out electricity in the home so Julius Drelick was unable to use the lift to get down. As part of the investigation, an accelerant detection K9 was brought to the scene and detected an accelerant in three areas of a family room located on the east side of the building.

Further investigation by Bucks County Detectives and the Buckingham Township Police Department led to Gillie, who resided with the Drelick’s daughter in Dunmore, Lackawanna County.

Hours after the fire, Gillie was stopped by Dunmore Police. They reported that a strong odor of gasoline was emanating from Gillie and a lighter was visible on the passenger seat.

Gillie was also found with the house keys to 5777 Private Drive in his pocket and an older style rifle, which was positively identified as belonging to the Drelicks, was sitting in plain view on the rear seat of the vehicle.

This case was investigated by Detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Buckingham Township Police Department, with assistance from the Bucks County Fire Marshal, the Buckingham Township Fire Marshal, the Bristol Township Fire Marshal, the Bensalem Township Fire Marshal, the Philadelphia Fire Marshal, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Dunmore Police Department, the Solebury Township Police Department, the Midway Fire Company and the Bucks County Coroner's Office.

Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber and Assistant District Attorney Brittney Kern prosecuted this case.