Second Defendant Acquitted In Deutsche Bank Fire Trial

A Manhattan grand jury has found a second defendant not guilty of all charges in the Deutsche Bank manslaughter trial after eight days of deliberations.

Jeffery Melofchik was one of three construction site supervisors charged with the deaths of firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino by smoke-inhalation.

Both firefighters ran out of oxygen when as they carried a dry hose through a 14^th floor stairwell blackened by thick smoke.

Melofchik's family shouted yes as the verdict was read aloud.

Jurors acquitted the foreman co-defendant Salvatore DePaola of the same charges of manslaughter and reckless endangerment.

Fields, an assistant district attorney had said the men took no precautionary steps to prevent the deaths including fixing a broken basement standpipe which if functional could have relayed water to firefighters on the upper floors of the burning building, damaged by the 9/11 terror attacks.

Justice Rena Uviller of State Supreme Court in Manhattan will judge Mitchel Alvo, the third defendant, directly as he decided to forego a trial by jury. Uviller has not set a date to announce his verdict.

Attorneys for the three men contend their clients were not aware of the safety risk when they had a 42-foot section of the pipe chopped and tossed from the building after it crashed to the basement floor.

Defense attorneys have also said debris from the attacks during 9/11, a lack of sprinklers and plywood and plastic blocking the stairwells were to blame for the firefighter deaths.

All are charged with reckless manslaughter and reckless endangerment and face up to 15 years in state prison if convicted.