The family of a young man who was killed in a fire while helping a millionaire stock trader build a network of tunnels beneath his house have said they tried to warn their son to stay away.
Askia Khafra, 21, was hired last year by 27-year-old Daniel Beckwitt to dig an elaborate system beneath his Washington DC house over fears of a nuclear attack from North Korea.
He died a year ago on Monday from smoke inhalation and heat injuries after the fire broke out in Beckwitt's home when Khafra was in the basement working on the tunnels and bunkers.
Until Khafra's death, no one knew anything about Beckwitt's bizarre plan to build an underground bunker for protection from a nuclear attack.
Askia Khafra's father Dia (above) revealed on the one-year anniversary of his son's death that he tried to warn the 21-year-old to stay away from Daniel Beckwitt's Washington DC home where he had been hired to dig tunnels
Neighbors knew nothing about the tunnels before they heard Beckwitt's screams and saw smoke pouring from the house on September 10.
In an interview before the anniversary of his death, Khafra's parents Dia and Claudia said they tried to persuade their son to stay away from Beckwitt's tunnels.
Their son met Beckwitt online and agreed to help him dig the tunnels in exchange for Beckwitt's investments in an internet company Khafra was launching.
'I always feared something dangerous would happen to him,' Dia said.
They have been dreading the anniversary of their son's death and said they still haven't been able to touch his bedroom.
The urn holding his ashes remains inside a cardboard box.
'We haven't had the courage to open that box,' Dia said.
Beckwitt was indicted on charges of second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in June over Khafra's death.
Askia Khafra (left) was hired last year by 27-year-old Daniel Beckwitt (right) to dig an elaborate system beneath his Washington DC house over fears of a nuclear attack from North Korea
Khafra died a year ago on Monday from smoke inhalation and heat injuries after the fire broke out in Beckwitt's home (above) when he was in the basement working on the tunnels
Maryland prosecutors have portrayed Beckwitt as a paranoid computer hacker who recklessly endangered Khafra's life.
But Beckwitt's lawyer Robert Bonsib has called Khafra's death a tragic accident and not a crime. Bonsib conceded that Beckwitt was an 'unusual guy' but said his client risked his own life in a failed attempt to rescue Khafra.
Investigators found Khafra's charred body in the basement of Beckwitt's home after the fire.
Khafra spent days at a time working, eating and sleeping in the tunnels under Beckwitt's home and took multiple selfies (above) of himself at work
A hole in the concrete basement floor led to a shaft that dropped down 20 feet into tunnels that branched out roughly 200 feet in length.
A police report says Beckwitt told investigators how he tried to preserve his project's secrecy when he brought Khafra there.
Beckwitt said he would rent a car, pick Khafra up and drive him to Manassas, Virginia, where he had the younger man don 'blackout glasses' before driving him around for about an hour.
Khafra spent days at a time working, eating and sleeping in the tunnels.
He had his cellphone with him, but Beckwitt used internet 'spoofing' to make it appear he was in Virginia, according to Montgomery County prosecutor Douglas Wink.
'These are the lengths the defendant went through in order to hide the truth from Askia Khafra as to where he was and to maintain the secrecy of these tunnels,' Wink said during a May 31 hearing.
Beckwitt lived alone in 'extreme hoarder conditions,' forcing the men to navigate a maze of junk and trash, Wink said.
The tunnels had lights, an air circulation system and a heater powered by a 'haphazard daisy chain' of power strips that created a fire risk, according to prosecutors.
Investigators found Khafra's charred body in the basement of Beckwitt's home after the fire. A hole in the concrete basement floor led to a shaft (pictured above) that dropped down 20 feet into tunnels that branched out roughly 200 feet in length
Beckwitt's attorney told a court that Khafra had posted photos of himself in the tunnels (above) on social media, suggesting he was proud of the work
Hours before the fire, Khafra texted Beckwitt to warn him it smelled like smoke in the tunnels. Beckwitt flipped a breaker that turned off lights in the tunnels but turned the power back on after Khafra said he couldn't see, Wink said.
Beckwitt ignored those 'obvious signs' of danger, the prosecutor told a judge.
Wink said Beckwitt had a 'paranoid fixation' on a possible nuclear attack by North Korea. Beckwitt's lawyer compared his client's concern to 'the days of the Cuban missile crisis.'
Bonsib said Khafra posted photos of himself in the tunnels on social media, suggesting he was proud of the work.
'He kept coming back,' Bonsib said.
Beckwitt's lawyer described him as a successful 'day trader' who has made millions trading stocks.
Dia Khafra said his son was impressed by Beckwitt's wealth.
'I think Askia was very trusting,' he said. 'He believed in the guy.'
Dia Khafra said he only met Beckwitt once, when he dropped off his son at their hom, and that he seemed shy.
'He said he made his money off bitcoins,' Khafra recalled.
Wooden boards now cover the doors and windows of the house, which is surrounded by a chain-link fence and police tape following the fire
Beckwitt lived with his parents at the Bethesda house until college. He enrolled at the University of Illinois, where campus police arrested him in 2013 on charges including computer fraud.
He was suspected of installing keystroke logging devices on the Urbana school's computers. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years of probation, according to online court records.
The conviction didn't steer Beckwitt away from computers after he moved back to Maryland. In 2016, he spoke at a hacker convention using the alias '3AlarmLampscooter' and wearing a fire-resistant suit and visor that obscured his face.
Wink said Beckwitt was teaching his audience how to make thermite bombs to destroy computer data 'in order to get away with hacking.'
Bonsib said his client's use of a pseudonym and disguise was harmless, typical of the 'weird things' people do on the internet.
County officials previously sued Beckwitt over his property's condition, calling it unsafe and a 'public nuisance.'
Wooden boards now cover the doors and windows of the house, which is surrounded by a chain-link fence and police tape.
The millionaire was freed on bond after his May arrest. His trial is scheduled for April 2019.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/10/askia-khafras-family-speak-out-after-fire-exposed-network-of-tunnels/
Main photo article The family of a young man who was killed in a fire while helping a millionaire stock trader build a network of tunnels beneath his house have said they tried to warn their son to stay away.
Askia Khafra, 21, was hired last year by 27-year-old Daniel Beckwitt to dig an elaborate system beneath hi...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/10/17/4FEF44CF00000578-6151895-image-m-23_1536596160596.jpg
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