Hmmmm....The Gallery Furniture Fire Arrest Seems Awfully Solid

By Richard Connelly Tue., Jul. 28 2009 at 4:31 PM

Categories: Crime

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Photo courtesy HCSO

Robert Gillham

All you Mattress Mack conspiracy-theorists who were speculating he might have had the big fire at his warehouse set himself can relax -- a suspect has been arrested. Robert Gillham, 66, had been fired by Gallery Furniture and was pissed.

Or can you relax? From the description given at an afternoon press conference, this is just about THE most iron-clad arson case that wasn't actually captured on film. Here's the Chron's version:

Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and firearms interviewed Gillham's girlfriend, who told investigators that she loaned Gillham her red Dodge Stratus to go to the warehouse after he promised to use different license plates.

She said he was gone about 45 minutes on the day of the fire and returned to say, "I'm OK, it's done."

She said he car smelled like gasoline when she got back in it later that night.

Apparently Gillham didn't go on to say "By the way, let me make a video confession of it all just in case I'm in a car crash between now and the time investigators finally find me."
Cops also announced that they "spoke to two men who said Gillham offered to pay them to burn the building or help him burn it. Gillham offered one $3,000 or $4,000 to set a fire."

Police found Gillham twirling his Snidely Whiplash mustache, typing up his memoir entitled How I Set The Gallery Furniture Warehouse On Fire. Or maybe they didn't.

Mack himself told reporters he was relieved an arrest had been made in the case.

We're sure he is, conspiracy theorists replied. And then went back to working on their 9/11 Truther and Obama Birther research.

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