Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
The man who was convicted in the Bethesda tunnel-fire case has had his murder charge overturned.
Oh, THIS story. I didn't place it as first. As soon as I looked at the article, I remembered the incident.
The man who was convicted in the Bethesda tunnel-fire case has had his murder charge overturned.
His conviction of involuntary manslaughter still stands.
Link to tweet
There’s a Big New Twist in the Bethesda Tunnel-Fire Case
Daniel Beckwitt's murder conviction has been overturned.
WRITTEN BY DANIELLA BYCK | PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 29, 2021
A Maryland appeals court has overturned the conviction of Daniel Beckwitt for second-degree “depraved heart” murder, finding that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to have warranted that charge. The Bethesda man had been found guilty in the fiery 2017 tunnel death of Silver Spring resident Askia Khafra. Beckwitt was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter, which the appeals court did not overturn. He will now face a new sentencing, and the ruling means that he could end up doing less time (he is currently serving a nine-year sentence).
The bizarre case was chronicled in an in-depth 2019 Washingtonian story. Khafra died in a fire that broke out in a series of tunnels leading to a bunker underneath Beckwitt’s home. A budding entrepreneur, Khafra was working for Beckwitt at the time, digging tunnels with a pickax and shovel. He would eat, sleep, and use the restroom in the shaft as he clocked long hours.
Unlike a straightforward homicide charge, a “depraved heart” murder describes a death that occurs due to an extreme disregard for human life. When the house caught fire, Khafra escaped the burrow network but never emerged from the basement’s rubble. Beckwitt was found guilty in April 2019.
Daniella Byck
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in August 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied journalism and digital culture. Originally from Rockville, she lives in Logan Circle.
https://www.twitter.com/daniellabyck
dbyck@washingtonian.com
https://www.instagram.com/daniella.byck
Daniel Beckwitt's murder conviction has been overturned.
WRITTEN BY DANIELLA BYCK | PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 29, 2021
A Maryland appeals court has overturned the conviction of Daniel Beckwitt for second-degree “depraved heart” murder, finding that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to have warranted that charge. The Bethesda man had been found guilty in the fiery 2017 tunnel death of Silver Spring resident Askia Khafra. Beckwitt was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter, which the appeals court did not overturn. He will now face a new sentencing, and the ruling means that he could end up doing less time (he is currently serving a nine-year sentence).
The bizarre case was chronicled in an in-depth 2019 Washingtonian story. Khafra died in a fire that broke out in a series of tunnels leading to a bunker underneath Beckwitt’s home. A budding entrepreneur, Khafra was working for Beckwitt at the time, digging tunnels with a pickax and shovel. He would eat, sleep, and use the restroom in the shaft as he clocked long hours.
Unlike a straightforward homicide charge, a “depraved heart” murder describes a death that occurs due to an extreme disregard for human life. When the house caught fire, Khafra escaped the burrow network but never emerged from the basement’s rubble. Beckwitt was found guilty in April 2019.
Daniella Byck
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in August 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied journalism and digital culture. Originally from Rockville, she lives in Logan Circle.
https://www.twitter.com/daniellabyck
dbyck@washingtonian.com
https://www.instagram.com/daniella.byck