The building wasn’t insured. The windows were boarded up. There were no smoke detectors. And the power had been cut off.
Still, the owner of a Provo apartment complex — who once called the place a “death trap” — rented out the property. And now he has been charged with the death of one of the tenants who was killed there by a fire in June.
Kelly Taylor Ellis, 65, faces a felony count of manslaughter, as well as a handful of misdemeanors including reckless endangerment and violation of safety regulations. Prosecutors say he also broke the law when converting the structure from a video store into housing without getting the proper licensing.