Alleged arsonists recorded blaze at Kimball Castle, according to investigation

The two teens charged with burning down the historic Kimball Castle last summer recorded their activities, and those of minors also involved, according to an investigation by the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

Peyton Eastman, 19, of Portsmouth, is charged with felony arson, and Joshua Pittman, 18, of Dover, is charged with conspiracy to commit arson, stemming from the fire at 59 Lockes Hill Road, in Gilford, on Aug. 27, 2025. Pittman was 17 at the time of the incident, and turned 18 on Sept. 29.

Both are also being charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing.

The castle, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in the 1890s, and court documents show the structure was most recently valued at $393,400, and the 20.35-acre property was valued at $900,450.

Fire Investigator Brynn Dunne reported in two sworn affidavits that she spoke to Melissa Starkey, owner of the Kimball Castle property, on her cellphone while on scene. Starkey told Dunne the structure had been empty for a “significant amount of time,” with no electricity. The walls and flooring were covered with wood, which Dunne noted is combustible.

Dunne collected Twisted Tea cans from outside the castle in the southeast corner, which she said appeared to be fresh and free from rust and debris. The evidence was submitted to the State Police Forensics Laboratory for fingerprint analysis, and at the time of the affidavit, Dunne was awaiting results.

After investigating the scene, Dunne found no heat sources present when the fire occurred, and there weren’t any weather events leading up to the fire that could have caused the blaze.

“Due to the absence of a competent heat source, it was suspected that an external heat source such as a lighter or match had been introduced to ignite the fire,” Dunne said. “Based on the totality of the circumstances, I determined that the fire had been incendiary or intentionally set.”

Joseph Shanks — a Wolfeboro Police corporal and school resource officer at Kingswood Regional High School — reported on Sept. 5, 2025, that a student said they received a Snapchat message from Eastman at about 3 a.m. on Aug. 27.

The message included a black screen with white writing saying that Eastman lit a Twisted Tea box near the “Welcome to Hell” graffiti at Kimball Castle, and the fire got out of control, and was unable to be put out.

Dunne interviewed the student, who said he had been with Eastman and Pittman, as well as a minor female, in Laconia, until about 1 a.m., before Eastman, Pittman and the girl left the city.

The Kingswood student gave Dunne a picture he took inside the castle, documenting the “Welcome to Hell” spray paint, and drew a diagram of the second story, showing where the graffiti was located.

Starkey confirmed the location of the graffiti, and provided Dunne with photographs of it, according to Dunne’s statement.

The student told Dunne that interacted with Eastman, Pittman, and the girl through Snapchat on a regular basis, and it was their main means of communicating.

Dunne served Snapchat with a search warrant for data recorded by Pittman, Eastman, and the girl, on Sept. 23. On Oct. 7, Dunne received the results of three search warrants. Geolocation data from Pittman’s account put him within a 39.66-meter radius of 59 Lockes Hill Road four times between 12:21 a.m. and 12:45 a.m. on Aug. 27.

After executing the search warrant of the Snapchat accounts, investigators found Eastman’s account put him in the same radius three times between 12:29 a.m. and 1:44 a.m.

Snapchat records created by the girl's account included photographs and five video recordings that show her, another minor female, Eastman, and Pittman inside the castle. Eastman and Pittman were allegedly shown igniting and fueling a fire inside the castle, which was lit near the graffiti, as the Kingswood student stated.

The first recording shows an image of Eastman holding a lighter in his right hand, lighting it, and igniting a Twisted Tea box in his left hand. He then allegedly places the lit box on a wooden chair back with a combustible covering. Eastman is allegedly shown moving the ignited box away from the chair, near a wooden railing. The fire remained burning, and “no effort is made to extinguish it.”

Dunne stated Pittman is in the first recording adding six long, thin pieces of wood to the fire on the chair. Pittman then allegedly place a long, thin piece of wood on the second fire Eastman started on the railing.

At the end of this recording, Eastman can be heard saying, “So we’ve turned our satanic ritual spot into a bonfire. Word.”

A second recording was taken from outside the castle. No faces are seen, but voices can be heard discussing the fire and that they could hear it “cracking.” After about a minute, the group rushed back into the structure, Dunne stated, and Pittman can be seen throwing four long pieces of wood up to Eastman, who is standing on the second story landing, so he could add them to the “growing” fire.

Pittman can then be seen picking up a chunk of wood, and stepping on it to break it apart. Pittman allegedly threw these pieces of wood to Eastman to add to the fire. While tossing them, Pittman said, “Put all that in it,” directing Eastman to add wood to the fire.

The final video from inside the castle shows “hot orange embers” falling onto the first floor where three people were standing, and nobody attempted to extinguish them.

Eastman is shown standing on the second story landing near the growing fire. A noise like breaking wood can be heard, and Eastman is shown carrying a section of wooden railing which he ultimately added to the fire. The girl is heard saying, “Just ripped that bitch off clean,” as Eastman added the railing to the fire.

The girl was then heard saying, “So the fire’s gonna go everywhere,” and someone replied, “Yeah this place is gonna burn down.” She then allegedly stated, “Bet. I’m chillin'. I have what I want. I have a full video.”

She then stated they were in trouble.

Dunne interviewed Eastman on Oct. 15, and he admitted to being inside Kimball Castle before the fire. He denied being there when the fire was lit, and said he didn’t know who ignited it. Dunne told Eastman she reviewed the video of him lighting the fire, and Eastman then declined to answer more questions without a lawyer.

Dunne said in the affidavit the Snapchat recordings showed Eastman lighting flammable items.

The castle had “Private Property, No Trespassing signs” posted at the entrance to the driveway and surrounding fence, which Dunne said were unobstructed and visible.

Dunne interviewed Pittman on Feb. 10, who said he had never been to the castle before Aug. 27. He didn’t recall whose idea it was to go, but he drove the group in his grandmother’s vehicle. Dunne asked Pittman if he or anyone else reported the fire to Gilford Fire or called 911. He said, “Of course not.”

Pittman told Dunne he remembered seeing a “No Trespassing” sign on the property, and he stated he didn’t attempt to hide the vehicle, and his high beams were on. He didn’t remember which entrance he used to enter the castle, saying part of the metal fencing around the castle had fallen, and they climbed over it.

Dunne said in an affidavit Pittman stated he was aware they shouldn't be there without permission from the property owner.

Pittman then allegedly told Dunne the fire had been Eastman’s idea, who ignited it to take “fit pics” in front of the castle, which are photographs of their clothing choices. Pittman denied the group brought the Twisted Tea boxes there.

Dunne found probable cause that both Pittman and Eastman committed arson, as well as criminal trespassing. She applied for an arrest warrant, which was executed on Sept. 8, 2026, by the NH Fire Marshal’s Office.

Pittman and Eastman were released with a promise to return to Laconia District Court at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, for a reading of their charges.