KENTWOOD, Mich. — In a recent court decision, a Michigan judge has decided to dismiss a charge of manslaughter related to the death of a homeless woman. The woman’s body was discovered inside a locked storage unit after a fire broke out.
The situation was described by Kentwood District Judge Amanda Sterkenburg as highlighting “tragic circumstances” and “poor life choices,” but she noted that it did not amount to a criminal act by the accused, Morgan Wingeier. The 32-year-old Wingeier was visibly emotional as the judge dismissed the charges of involuntary manslaughter and unlawful imprisonment against her.
Judge Sterkenburg acknowledged that Wingeier’s decision to lock her friend in the storage unit was a poor one. However, she suggested that the alternative of leaving a friend without shelter and exposed to the elements might have been harsher.
The deceased, 33-year-old Corinne Abosamra, had been staying in Wingeier’s storage unit in Kentwood before her body was discovered following the fire on November 7. Investigators concluded that Abosamra died of a drug overdose, not due to the fire, and had been living in the unit for three days before the incident.
Wingeier informed investigators that she locked the unit because her mother, unaware of Abosamra’s presence, questioned her about it. She had planned to return to unlock it at a later time.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire that led to these events.