20s Helping Secretly Build Nuclear Bunker Die... US Tycoon Found Not Guilty of Murder, Only Manslaughter Recognized

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] A U.S. tycoon who was accused of causing the death by fire of a man in his 20s who secretly helped him build a nuclear bunker in his home was acquitted of second-degree murder charges in the appellate court and only found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

According to the Associated Press on the 29th (local time), 29-year-old wealthy stock investor Daniel Beckwith caused the death of 21-year-old Askia Kapra in a fire at his Maryland residence in 2017.

In the state appellate court for this case, Beckwith was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, as in the first trial. However, he was acquitted of the second-degree murder charge that was upheld in the first trial.

In September 2017, fire authorities discovered Kapra’s charred naked body in the basement during the fire at Beckwith’s home.

Beckwith and Kapra met online. Beckwith invested money in Kapra’s startup company as Kapra helped him dig underground tunnels.

The prosecution described Beckwith as a "highly skilled computer hacker suffering from paranoia about the possibility of a North Korean nuclear attack."

The fire occurred in September 2017, a time when North Korea was intensively developing nuclear weapons and tensions between North Korea and the U.S. were at their peak, with then-President Donald Trump warning of "fire and fury."

Beckwith secretly brought Kapra to his home wearing blindfolds to prevent him from seeing, and tried to deceive others into thinking the location was in Virginia rather than Maryland.

Kapra lived and worked in the tunnel for several days, even using a bucket provided by Beckwith for his needs. The tunnel is reported to be 6 meters vertically below the basement and extends 60 meters horizontally.

According to the prosecution, the fire was caused by a faulty electrical outlet in the basement, which led to Kapra’s death.

The prosecution charged Beckwith with disregarding safety and sacrificing a life, but the defense argued that the fire was an accident, not a crime.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.