Mar 10, 2016 3 min read

State police are investigating the death of a man whose body was discovered in the ruins of a Springhill Township home destroyed by fire early Thursday.

The body was found by firefighters, who were called at 3:20 a.m. to extinguish a blaze at the house, a mobile home with an addition, at 498 Morford Road.

The name of the victim was not released, and neither Greene County Coroner Gregory Rohanna nor state police returned telephone calls regarding the fatality.

The house was the scene of a shooting June 8. During that incident, the occupant of the house, David M. Riley, shot Jimmy W. Spencer, 53, of New Freeport in the abdomen after Spencer broke into the house and threatened Riley with a metal pry bar.

A neighbor said Thursday that Riley lived alone in the house and his vehicles were still at the residence Thursday morning.

The New Freeport Volunteer Fire Co. arrived at the scene and found the mobile home engulfed in flames.

“It had pretty much burned down, though there were still some hot spots,” fire Chief Alan Shipman said.

The fire was called in by a neighbor, Shipman said. The neighbor also informed firefighters when they arrived it was possible the man could be inside because his truck was there.

Shipman said firefighters had adequate water and manpower and had no problems extinguishing the blaze. They found the body in the front of the trailer, prompting them to request the coroner and state police to investigate.

It took less than a half-hour to extinguish the fire, although firefighters remained on scene until about 9 a.m. while police and the coroner completed their investigation, Shipman said.

Following the shooting in June, state police said there was “bad blood” between Riley and Spencer stemming from Riley’s part in an investigation that resulted in charges against Spencer’s son, Samuel Spencer, for a triple homicide in West Virginia.

Samuel Spencer was prosecuted in connection with the deaths of three people whose bodies were found in the ruins of a burned house in Littleton, W.Va., in January 2014.

Riley served as a witness against Samuel Spencer, who entered an “Alford plea” to homicide charges in Wetzel County, W.Va. in February 2015 and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Jimmy Spencer spent two weeks recovering from the wounds following the shooting. In December, he pleaded guilty in Greene County Court to aggravated assault, retaliation against a witness, simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief. Jimmy Spencer was sentenced to 2 to 10 years in prison and is currently incarcerated at SCI-Camp Hill. Investigators considered Riley’s use of force legal under the state’s Castle Doctrine law that allows homeowners to protect themselves from intruders.

The Richhill Township and Cameron, W.Va., volunteer fire companies were called to assist at Thursday’s fire. The Wayne and Center township fire companies were called, but cancelled when it was determined their assistance was not needed.