Architects have been in civil cases before in the past, but this one here is sort of rare and weird. It is a criminal case. An architect was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading no contest to manslaughter of a firefighter who died while trying to contain a fire in a home the architect had designed. For himself.

When fire broke out at the home of German architect Gerhard Becker, the fire began in one of four fireplaces that had been manufactured for outdoor use but hidden within the house itself - making it a clear violation of local building codes.

The flames melted a water pipe, collapsing the ceiling, crushing 61 year old Glenn Allen, who died of his injuries.



Becker allegedly had the fireplaces installed after the mansion had cleared its inspection, writing, "I want this to be installed after the final inspection so we don't have any final delays by the inspector."

LA Weekly describes Becker's less-than-remorseful behavior after the fire:
Becker was interviewed by fire investigators, but two months after they last spoke to him, he broke the lease on his home, sold two vehicles and flew to Switzerland and then Spain, where he began to build another luxury home. There he set up construction companies in the name of his wife, a yoga instructor, investigators said.
[The New York Times]