Murder charges in fatal building collapse
The demolition contractor in June's disastrous collapse of a Center City building has been charged with six counts of third-degree murder, District Attorney Seth Williams announced Monday.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OIYKGFRQCREPFJDPKIONXNT7FQ.jpg)
The demolition contractor in June's disastrous collapse of a Center City building has been charged with six counts of third-degree murder, District Attorney Seth Williams announced Monday.
Williams said Griffin Campbell was "motivated by greed" - trying to maximize the salvage value of building materials - and elected not to use the safe but more labor-intensive way of razing the building at 2136 Market St.
An unsupported wall of the four-story building toppled at 10:41 a.m. on June 5, flattening the roof of the adjacent Salvation Army thrift store and crushing six people inside. Thirteen others were injured.
Williams said an investigating grand jury is still looking into the collapse and other people could be charged.
That news encouraged Jay Bryan, whose daughter Anne, a 24-year-old artist, was one of the six killed.
"I think there are more responsible parties that need to be brought to justice and I hope they are," said Bryan, the husband of City Treasurer Nancy Winkler. "We think, frankly, that the responsibility goes to the owner to be shared with the contractor."
Property owner Richard Basciano, of STB Investments Corp., was razing a series of buildings in that block - a seedy strip that included a peep show and porn theater - for a proposed mix development of apartments and retail stores.
According to the grand jury presentment, Basciano had owned the properties since 1994.
In addition to third-degree murder, Campbell was charged with six counts of involuntary manslaughter, 13 counts of reckless endangerment, causing and risking a catastrophe and criminal conspiracy.
An investigating grand jury also recommended an additional charge of criminal conspiracy against Sean Benschop, 42, operator of the 36,000-pound excavator, whose vibrations allegedly caused the unsupported wall to fall.
Benschop, also known as Kary Roberts, was arrested several days later after he tested positive for marijuana. He remains in custody on $1.55 million bail pending a preliminary hearing on Dec. 10 on involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and risking a catastrophe.
Williams said prosecutors would ask that Campbell be held without bail pending trial because of the seriousness of the charges, which could put him in prison for life. Campbell surrendered to Central Detectives Monday afternoon.
215-854-2985 @joeslobo