Court upholds man’s conviction in fire above secret tunnels

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press

Maryland’s highest court has upheld a wealthy stock trader’s conviction on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the fiery death of a man who was helping him dig tunnels for a nuclear bunker under a home. The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the evidence was sufficient to support Daniel Beckwitt’s conviction in the September 2017 death of 21-year-old Askia Khafra. The appeals court said Beckwitt’s failure to provide Khafra with a reasonably safe workplace in the tunnels constituted gross negligence. In January 2021, a lower appeals court overturned Beckwitt’s conviction for second-degree “depraved heart” murder.