SALT LAKE CITY — A little over a year after Morgan Kay Harris was killed after her boyfriend allegedly locked her and her dog in a burning Murray storage unit, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office announced the man will not face charges in her death.
On Friday, District Attorney Sim Gill shared the results of his office's investigation into the Feb. 18, 2023 death of Harris, saying evidence did not point to her boyfriend, Alexander Paul Wardell, setting fire to the storage unit with his girlfriend locked inside and that the cause of the fire is undetermined.
Gill went on to say that an investigation, which cost $100,000, could not determine the cause of Harris' death.
"With the current evidence before, this office cannot in good conscience file charges against Mr. Wardell," said Gill.
Wardell was immediately arrested following the incident for negligent homicide and kidnapping, but had never been charged in Harris's death. He has been serving a prison sentence on multiple domestic violence-related charges unrelated to his ex-girlfriend.
Following the fire, Wardell admitted to police that he had closed the storage unit with Harris and the dog inside, and then placed a lock on the door before leaving the area. The couple had been living inside the unit at the time of the fire.
Video shared by Gill during Friday's briefing showed Wardell arriving at the storage unit facility with Harris and the dog, and then leaving alone nearly 15 minutes later and walking into a nearby Walmart.
Tracking 911 calls, the first reports of fire at the storage unit were reported after surveillance video showed Wardell at the store. Other video showed Wardell screaming in alleged grief after he returned to the unit after the fire had been put out.
"Mr. Wardell's history of changing stories, while suspicious, do not meet our burden," Gill added. "At this time, with the evidence before us, this office is unable to ethically charge Mr. Wardell without further evidence that he was present when the fire started, or had the intent to start the fire that killed Ms. Harris."
Wardell told investigators that no fire accelerants were in the storage unit and none were ever found inside. He said he had locked the door of the unit so that he could get food, and that Harris was "groggy" when he put her in a chair and left.
Harris and her dog were found dead after the Murray City Fire Department received calls about a fire at the storage unit building at approximately 4600 South 900 East. When firefighters were finally able to open the door of the unit, Harris and the dog were found dead.
Gill said the fire could have been started by a smoldering cigarette, as a cigarette and lighter were found inside the unit, as well as a candle. The incident, according to Gill, could be just "an accidental, tragic loss of life."
Testing that recreated the storage unit fire at a facility in Maryland lined up with the video surveillance that showed Wardell was not in the area when the flames began.
When asked earlier this year about the delay in filing charges against Wardell, Gill said the "screening process takes varies for each case."
"Morgan was the sweetest person ever. She just doesn't have a mean bone in her body," said her mother, Laurice Williamson, last year. "She was shy, never wanted to put anyone out; she was just very thoughtful and sweet and kind."
Gill acknowledged the heartbreak Harris's family is feeling over the undetermined nature of her death and no charges being filed, but said he can only base his job on the facts.
"They're in pain, they're in grief, and I wish I could give them some measure of justice if there was some culpability," he said. "I can't get there."
Resources for domestic violence victims/prevention (free, 24/7, confidential):
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition:
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
