By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
EVERGREEN, Ala. — An Alabama dentist has been sentenced to prison after burning down his own dental office to collect insurance money while facing mounting debt.
Conecuh County Circuit Judge Jack B. Weaver sentenced Douglas Patrick O’Connor to 15 years in prison, with three years to serve, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Friday.
O’Connor, a dentist in Evergreen, pleaded guilty to second-degree arson and first-degree insurance fraud. His guilty plea was entered on Feb. 3.
Authorities said surveillance footage from neighboring businesses captured O’Connor’s actions on the night of March 28, 2025.
The video showed him arriving late that Friday evening at his closed dental office and entering and exiting the building several times.
At approximately 9:48 p.m., investigators said O’Connor stood in the back doorway, struck a match, and threw it inside, triggering an explosion seconds later.
The blast destroyed the dental practice and caused more than $63,000 in damage to the Alabama State Trooper Post located next door.
Forensic testing later confirmed the presence of gasoline on O’Connor’s clothing from that evening and gasoline residue on the floor of the burned office.
Investigators determined O’Connor had accumulated significant debt and had exhausted his ability to secure additional loans before setting the fire.
Prosecutors said he burned the building in an attempt to collect insurance money and use the proceeds to pay creditors.
“Alabamians put their trust in doctors to do no harm,” Marshall said. “Dr. O’Connor shattered that trust in the most deliberate way possible.”
The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Criminal Trials Division with assistance from several state and local agencies.