SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 10, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Charges will not be filed against a man who police say locked his girlfriend inside a Murray storage unit that later caught fire and resulted in her death.
Morgan Kay Harris, 27, and her dog were locked inside a storage unit at 4608 S. 900 East on Feb. 18, 2023, when it caught fire, Murray police said. Both Harris and her dog died in the fire.
Harris’ boyfriend, Alexander Wardell, was arrested later that night in connection with her death.
On Friday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill declined to file charges against Wardell.
“This is a tragic loss of life, but one where we do not have a basis to file criminal charges and meet our burden of proof,” Gill said. “Our hearts go out to the family of Ms. Harris for this tragic loss. This office turned every stone to make sure [Harris’] memory was served with our best effort.”
Gill said his office conducted “a thorough investigation” involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, multiple local agencies and prosecutors.
“Hundreds of hours were spent between the investigative and review process, including two representatives from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office spending a week at an ATF Fire Research Lab in Maryland where live test burns were conducted,” the DA’s office said in a news release.
Police say Wardell locked Harris and her dog inside the storage unit and then walked away. When the unit caught fire, Harris was unable to open the locked door and died in the fire.
Using photographs and notes from the scene, engineers at the ATF Fire Research Laboratory in Maryland built three, three-unit structures for testing in August 2023, according to the district attorney’s office report.
ATF’s analysis concluded there were several possible causes of the fire: an accidental smoldering fire caused by discarded cigarettes, an accidental fire caused by the use of candles, and an intentional fire set by Wardell, though the latter option was determined to be “not likely.”
“Wardell was away from the unit for a total of 22 minutes, making it unlikely that Wardell intentionally caused the fire before leaving the unit,” the report says.
A report from the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner says manner of Harris’ death remains undetermined.
Harris, originally from southern Utah, was a model, makeup artist and medical assistant who had recently started a new job in the Draper area, her family said in a statement at the time of her death.
“Our daughter, Morgan Kay Harris, was always known for her sweet, shy, and kind temperament, being a deep thinker with amazing artistic abilities and always having an infectious giggle,” the family said. “She loved her dog, Huck, who passed with her.”
Harris is survived by “her parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews, whom she adored,” the statement continues.
“We are devastated at the loss of our daughter and appreciate the love and support from the community but ask for your privacy at this time as we maneuver through the unimaginable.”
Family members created a GoFundMe account to help with Harris’ funeral expenses.
