In his third day of testimony in the Ghost Ship trial, defendant Max Harris reversed earlier statements he had made to investigators about whether the rear stairs of the warehouse were blocked on the night it burned down in December 2016, killing 36.
Harris told the court that the rear stairs were, in fact, not blocked and that previous information he had given to investigators was based on incorrect information at the time.
Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Autrey James played video for the jury of Harris telling investigators six months after the Dec. 2, 2016 fire, and after his arrest, that the rear stairs to the second floor were blocked near the bottom.
But Wednesday Harris responded to James’ questioning, saying his understanding of the situation was not correct in the aftermath of the fire.
“I relayed my understanding at the time, which I now know is not accurate,” Harris said in court. “I heard a lot of misinformation after this first happened.”
Harris said he was also trying to be helpful to investigators at the time and that much of his misunderstanding had been corrected after hearing testimony and information about people using the stairs on the night of the blaze.
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Master tenant Derick Almena also faces 36 involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the blaze in the unpermitted Oakland residence and performance venue the night of an electronic music party.
Prosecutors argue that Harris and Almena illegally converted the warehouse into an unsafe living space stuffed with flammable materials and lacking proper safety measures like fire alarms, well-lit exits and sprinkler systems. Defense attorneys argue the blaze was started by an act of arson.
Harris answered a line of questioning from James about whether he had shown guests where exits were located in the warehouse.
Harris responded that he didn’t feel compelled to point out exits or the location of the rear or front sets of stairs. He said his understanding was that everyone knew where the stairs were.
“I wouldn’t be expecting something to happen,” Harris said. He said the exits were clear and that one of them had an exit sign, but it was not lit.
Harris also testified that he was a point-of-contact person for the Dec. 2 electronic music party, but said a lot of people “were working together on this.” He said people who didn’t live at the warehouse had promoted the event.
Harris said he believed he had shown Jon Hrabko, who was promoting the event, around the lower level of the warehouse, but wasn’t sure if he had shown him the back set of stairs.
James asked Harris about a list of duties that could be considered managerial roles at the warehouse. Regarding rent collection, Harris said he pooled rent and deposited it in the landlords’ bank account.
James also asked if Harris served as the “point person” at the Ghost Ship, citing an October 2016 email to the landlords about an attempt to lease an adjacent auto body shop, to which Harris answered, “In that instance, yes.”
Harris also said that he had served an eviction notice to one tenant.
This post will be updated.
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