The trial began today in Portland for Gregory Nisbet who is facing manslaughter charges in a November 2014 fire that killed six people in the city.
Nisbet was the owner of the building; this could be the the first time in the state’s history that a landlord is convicted for manslaughter in a tenant death stemming from negligent building operation.
Manslaughter is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine in Maine.
Today in court, a prosecutor said the Noyes Street apartment house was neglected during foreclosure and that several bedrooms became “death traps.”
Assistant Attorney General John Alsop said Monday that landlord Gregory Nisbet stopped making mortgage payments, wasn’t maintaining the home, and wasn’t even keeping tabs on who lived there. He said the building lacked working smoke detectors and alternate exits.
Defense attorney Matt Nichols said there are questions whether the home a duplex or a boarding house, and which safety codes applied.