Murder Trial In Bethesda Tunnel Case Set To Begin

BETHESDA, MD — Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in the trial of 27-year-old Bethesda millionaire Daniel Beckwitt, who was charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the September 2017 death of Askia Khafra.

Khafra, who was hired by Beckwitt to dig an elaborate network of tunnels under his home over fears of a bombing, died from smoke inhalation and heat injuries after a fire broke out on Sept. 10.

Shortly before the blaze broke out, Khafra texted Beckwitt to tell him it smelled like smoke in the tunnels, The Associated Press reported.

After the blaze was extinguished, investigators found Khafra's body in the basement near the tunnels, Montgomery County Police said. The tunnels branched out roughly 200 feet in length and had an air circulation system and a heater powered by a "haphazard daisy chain" of power strips that created a fire risk, Montgomery County prosecutor Douglas Wink said at a 2018 hearing, according to the AP.

In 2018, Khafra's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Beckwitt. The AP reported that they warned Khafra to stay away from the tunnels.

"I always feared something dangerous would happen to him," Dia Khafra, the father, said.

SEE ALSO:

• Bethesda Man Charged With Murder After House Fire
• Tunnel Network At Bethesda House Prompts Lawsuit After Fatal Fire
• Silver Spring Man Dies In North Bethesda House Fire
• Police Investigating Fatal North Bethesda House Fire