JOHNSTOWN - Arson and murder suspect Jeffrey Alnutt has filed a civil lawsuit against several area media organizations, claiming he has been defamed.
The 55-year-old Alnutt, formerly of the Syracuse area, acted as his own attorney in preparing the handwritten lawsuit. The court filing is dated Sept. 17. He is an inmate at the Schoharie County Correctional Facility.
Alnutt's litigation in State Supreme Court in Onondaga County names defendants including The Leader-Herald, the Times-Union of Albany, the Syracuse Post-Standard, The Daily Gazette, an unspecified newspaper in Dolgeville, Fox TV, Channel 10 News, staff members of several media outlets, as well as District Attorney Louise K. Sira and Gloversville police.
Alnutt is accused of burning down a Steele Avenue apartment house in 2004 to collect insurance money, and will go on trial in that matter Nov. 30 at the Fulton County Courthouse. Also on trial will be Alnutt's daughter, Aubrey Pagan, 25, and her husband, Victor Pagan, 26, both recently of 32 Slater St. in Amsterdam. The indictment alleges the three bought a house at 42 Steele Ave. in Gloversville and then knowingly set fire to it in order to collect the insurance money in January 2004.
No trial date has been set in another case against Alnutt, which stems from a fire at a different house he owned in Gloversville. Authorities allege he intentionally set fire to the house he owned at 22 Park St. in December 2007. Tenant Debra Morris, 39, died in the blaze. Alnutt was indicted on charges of murder, manslaughter, reckless endangerment and two counts of arson in that case.