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ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — A wealthy stock trader is seeking a new trial after his murder conviction in the fiery death of a man who was helping him secretly dig tunnels for an underground nuclear bunker beneath a Maryland home.
Daniel Beckwitt's attorneys asked a Montgomery County judge on Monday to schedule a hearing for their written request for a new trial.
On April 24, a jury convicted Beckwitt of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the September 2017 death of 21-year-old Askia Khafra. The 27-year-old faces up to 30 years in prison at sentencing set for June 17.
Beckwitt's lawyers argue the evidence presented to jurors was insufficient "as a matter of law" to support his convictions. They also claim prosecutors improperly used photographs of extreme hoarding conditions in Beckwitt's suburban Washington home.
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