Millionaire Sentenced To 9 Years For Bethesda Tunnel Case: Report

BETHESDA, MD — A Bethesda millionaire has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the fiery death of a 21-year-old who had been digging tunnels underneath the wealthy man's home, according to multiple news outlets.

Two months ago, 27-year-old Daniel Beckwitt was found guilty of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for the September 2017 death of Askia Khafra. In reaching a decision, the jurors concluded that Beckwitt had acted in "extreme disregard for human life," according to The Washington Post.

Beckwitt had hired Khafra to dig an elaborate network of tunnels under his home over fears of a bombing.

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 Associated Press.

To keep the project secret, Beckwitt would rent a car, pick Khafra up from his Silver Spring home, and then drive to Manassas, Virginia, WTOP reported. Khafra would reportedly put on "darkened, black-out glasses" so he wouldn't know where they were going.

Per the outlet, Beckwitt would tell Khafra that they were driving to a house in Virginia, when in fact he just circled back to Bethesda.

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

During Beckwitt's trial, Marybeth Ayres — a Montgomery County prosecutor — said that he did not respond for more than six hours before telling him that there was an electrical problem, according to WTOP. Beckitt reportedly did not get Khafra out of the tunnels.

Beckwitt was the only one to escape the fire on Sept. 10, 2017.

After the blaze was extinguished, investigators found Khafra's body in the basement near the tunnels, Montgomery County Police said. The Silver Spring resident died from smoke inhalation and heat injuries.

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.

In court, parents urged Circuit Judge Margaret Schweitzer to give Beckwitt the maximum penalty, which is 30 years in prison, WTOP reported. While hearing the victim-impact statement, Beckwitt was reportedly nodding and wiping his eyes with a tissue.

"Let him feel a fraction of the pain he's imposed — not just on Askia, but on the entire family," the victim's brother said, per the news outlet.

WTOP reported that Beckwitt's attorney, Robert Bonsib, said his client isn't an evil person.

"He is not this demon," Bonsib said. "This is not a case where some one went out and shot someone in the head. This is a failure to clean up the house. Thats what he's on trial for."

The judge told Beckwitt that his intellectual arrogance and self-interest led to the fatal fire.

"You thought everything would be OK because you're very smart," the judge told Beckwitt, according to WTOP. "Your intellectual arrogance and self-interest caused you to fail to see what common sense would tell you was a dangerous situation."

SEE ALSO:

• Tunnel House Owner Afraid Of Nuclear Bombs, Charged With Murder
• Bethesda Man Charged With Murder After House Fire
• Tunnel Network At Bethesda House Prompts Lawsuit After Fatal Fire
• Murder Trial In Bethesda Tunnel Case Set To Begin
• Millionaire Convicted Of Murder In Bethesda Tunnel Case