KENTWOOD, Mich. — A Michigan judge dismissed a manslaughter charge Thursday in the death of a homeless woman whose body was discovered in a friend’s locked storage unit after a fire.
The case revealed “tragic circumstances” and “poor life choices” but not a crime by the woman who controlled the unit, Kentwood District Judge Amanda Sterkenburg said.
Morgan Wingeier, 32, wiped away tears when the judge threw out charges of involuntary manslaughter and unlawful imprisonment, WOOD-TV reported.
Wingeier “made a poor choice locking her friend in the storage unit, but is it better to leave a friend in the wind with no roof over her head?” the judge said.
Wingeier had allowed Corinne Abosamra, 33, to stay in her storage unit in Kentwood. Abosamra’s body was found when firefighters responded to a fire there on Nov. 7.
A drug overdose — not the fire — killed Abosamra, who had been living in the unit for three days, authorities said.
Wingeier told investigators that she locked the unit on the day of the fire only because of questions by her mother, who was present and didn’t know a person was inside. She said she had planned to return and unlock it.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, WOOD-TV said.