PORTLAND, Maine – Maine prosecutors have rested their case against a Portland landlord on trial on six counts of manslaughter in connection with a fatal 2014 blaze.
Assistant Fire Marshal Richard McCarthy testified Wednesday that Gregory Nisbet's property was being run as an illegal rooming house that didn't have the required fire detection systems or escape routes.
The defense began presenting its witnesses Thursday after the judge denied a motion for acquittal.
Six tenants died in the Nov. 1, 2014, fire that was sparked by the improper disposal of smoking materials.
Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren will decide the case because Nisbet waived his right to a jury trial. If convicted, Nisbet would become the first landlord in Maine found guilty of manslaughter for an accidental fire.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
