LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Jury deliberations are now underway in the trial of a retired gas company technician charged in connection with last year's deadly house explosion in Sterling.

Closing arguments lasted about three hours Wednesday and went to the jury just after 12:30 p.m.

Roger Bentley is facing three fire code violations and one count of involuntary manslaughter.

The explosion resulted in the death of 45-year-old volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, injured 13 others, and caused significant damage to a home and six nearby structures.

Much of those closing arguments centered on a disagreement between the prosecution and the defense over whether Bentley knew there was a propane leak in the tank after he came to the house at 347 Silver Ridge Drive in the afternoon, hours before the explosion happened at 8:24 p.m.

Although prosecutors with the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office did not offer evidence that Bentley ever directly said there was a leak, they argued that he didn’t need to say it because it was clear he knew, based on the context of his conversations, including with homeowner Kelley Woods.

Although the prosecution and the defense disagreed over the exact wording of the statement, Bentley said something at one point that implied if Woods took no action, she’d be letting propane seep into the ground from her tank, which the prosecution said shows he knew there was a leak.

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Prosecutors said Bentley was required to report a leak, but instead tried to downplay the danger and left the scene. They say not only did Bentley violate fire codes by not reporting and mitigating the issue, but what he did amounted to involuntary manslaughter because it was careless and showed a callous disregard for human life.

However, Bentley’s defense attorney said he worked as a propane technician with a “spotless safety record” for about 40 years, and he would never have knowingly left a scene without dealing with a leaking tank. She argued that Woods assumed Bentley knew about the leak, but never actually told him.

The defense attorney acknowledged Bentley smelled gas at the scene, but she said that is normal after a tank has been filled. A separate Southern States employee had filled it earlier that day.

She said Bentley performed tests that gave no indication of a leak, and he told Woods to call him if the smell got worse, since that would have indicated a leak.

She said Bentley is being made the “fall guy” for the tragedy. “There was nothing improper about what Roger did,” she said. “He did what the [company] policy told him to do.”

Day one of the trial, prosecutors alleged that Bentley, 68, a former employee of Southern States Cooperative, failed to properly address a dangerous propane leak at the Sterling home.

For approximately four hours, 125 gallons of propane gas leaked from a 500-gallon tank used to heat a backyard pool, seeping into the ground and basement.

Neighbors reported the distinct "rotten egg" odor of gas, but prosecutors said Bentley dismissed the situation, telling the homeowner it was "not an emergency" before leaving for another service call.

Just 25 minutes before the blast, Bentley radioed dispatch again, still saying it wasn’t urgent.

The home exploded later that night.

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The defense fired back, claiming Bentley is being made a “fall guy.”

They argue the real responsibility lies with homeowner Kelley Woods, who failed to replace the propane tank after it failed an inspection in 2017. They said Bentley warned her it needed to be replaced and offered to do the work the following Monday, but the explosion happened on a Friday.

Bentley, who had worked for the company for 39 years, retired shortly after the incident. His attorneys said he responded to a “ticking time bomb” just like the firefighters, and that others in the neighborhood who smelled gas also had the opportunity to call 911.

This is a developing story. 7News will bring you updates as we get them.