BETHESDA, Md. — Jury selection is underway in the trial of a Bethesda millionaire accused of murder.
Daniel Beckwitt is charged with second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say Beckwitt kept 21-year-old Askia Khafra as a slave, forcing him to build hidden tunnels on the millionaire's property.
Khafra was found dead after a fire broke out in the home.
A judge ruled that jurors can hear testimony about evidence investigators found in the Bethesda house.
Monday, much of the trash has been cleaned up and the windows and doors boarded up at Beckwitt's home. But broken pipes and flowers are a sad reminder that was the place where Khafra's charred and naked body was found in September 2017, after a fire broke out in the home.
RELATED: Victim in Bethesda tunnel home fire was blindfolded, brought to dig tunnels, court docs reveal
"I said it looks like it's still here and it's an eyesore. I don't know why they don't tear it down," said neighbor Jeanne Levin, who has lived in Bethesda for 59 years.
Officials in Montgomery County say the tunnels extend beyond the house onto Danbury Road, making some neighbors worried about the overall safety of the area. They wondered if parts of Danbury Road could be in danger of collapsing.
Prosecutors say Beckwitt recruited Khafra to help him dig - sometimes for days at a time. The 21-year-old from Silver Spring would sleep in the tunnels and use a bucket to go to the bathroom. Prosecutors say the tunnels had a dangerous chain of power strips that were a fire hazard.
Investigators reported previously the home had “hoarding conditions" at the time of the fire - finding things like human excrement, discarded items, saturated materials and piles of garbage.
Those conditions, according to investigators, made escape from the home difficult as the hoarding conditions led to maze-like pathways throughout.
"The substantial electrical needs of the underground tunnel complex were served by a haphazard daisy-chain of extension cords and plug extenders that created a substantial risk of fire," said Montgomery County Detective Michelle Smith in a court affidavit.
WUSA9 reporter Bruce Leshan lives in the neighborhood and was one of the first on the scene, when the deadly fire happened.
After calling 911, Leshan ran into the home where he encountered resident Daniel Beckwitt, who said that another man was inside the home.
"He didn't have a shirt on, he's got dirt all over his body. He's obviously completely freaked out and he says 'I think he's in there, I think he's in there,'" Leshan said in May.
Khafra’s body was found in the basement. He died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, investigators said at the time.
Now several months later, neighbors say they are still dealing with rats, hazardous waste and potential sink holes. Last year, Montgomery County sued the Beckwitts saying they had failed to tear the house down and deal with hazardous waste.
Jury selection is expected to continue Tuesday.
