ALFRED, Maine — A Biddeford teenager pleaded not guilty in York County Superior Court on Friday morning to murder and arson charges related to a Biddeford fire that killed two men in September.
Dylan Collins, 18, is accused of setting a Sept. 18 apartment house fire that killed two people, Michael Moore, 23, and James Ford, 21. He faces two counts of depraved indifference arson and murder.
Court documents show Collins had a loaded shotgun when police arrested him last month.
During Friday’s arraignment, the judge said Collins will be sent to Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta for 60 days of observation and treatment, as soon as a spot at the center opens.
According to the affidavit, Collins’ mother called police because she was worried he might harm himself or others.
She showed officers her son’s diary on his iPad, in which Collins allegedly admits to setting the fire with rubbing alcohol and a lighter.
According to the affidavit, he wrote, “I was pretty confident that I was going to get away with it. I left no evidence at the scene.”
He also allegedly wrote, “I didn’t mean to kill those two people, those were collateral damage, unfortunate casualties … I’m sorry they died. But I refuse to go to jail for the rest of my life because I accidentally killed two people.”
Police say Collins later confessed to setting the fire to scare his former girlfriend, 16, who lived in the building.
Collins is being held without bail.