Lawyer: Man accused of causing building collapse is scapegoat

The murder trial of the demolition contractor accused of causing the 2013 Market Street building collapse started explosively Wednesday with the defense attorney calling Griffin Campbell the incident's "seventh victim."

William D. Hobson argued that Philadelphia's rich and powerful had made his client a scapegoat for the wall collapse that buried a Salvation Army thrift store, killing six people and injuring 13.

"What separates Griff Campbell from everyone else is the cash, clout, and connections that would give him the ability to pick up the phone or send a text to City Hall," Hobson said.

Those people could have easily prevented the collapse any number of times, Hobson said.

Hobson's hour-long speech drew protests from prosecutors as soon as the jury of eight women and four men was out of the courtroom.

Assistant District Attorney Edward Cameron asked Judge Glenn B. Bronson to punish Hobson for violating a pretrial order not to defend Campbell by implying that others should have been criminally charged.

Instead, Bronson instructed the jurors that only issue they had to decide was whether the 51-year-old Hunting Park contractor was guilty of causing the deaths and injuries that occurred when an unsupported three-story wall - the remnant of a building at 2136-38 Market St. - crushed the adjacent store at 22d Street and Market.

The long-awaited trial opened before an audience of about 100, including relatives of the victims. Among them were City Treasurer Nancy Winkler and her husband, Jay Bryan, whose daughter, Anne Bryan, was one of those killed.

On the other side of the courtroom, several rows behind Campbell, flanked by reporters taking notes, sat Campbell's wife, Kim, several of his daughters, and other relatives.

Hobson's opening statement to the jury attacked virtually every piece of evidence prosecutors intend to use against Campbell.

Hobson called the prosecution's key witness - Plato A. Marinakos Jr., the architect who oversaw the demolition and hired Campbell - a "weasel and a Judas" who "threw Griff Campbell under the bus."

Hobson said Marinakos rigged the demolition contract so Campbell's "lowball" $112,000 bid was accepted and then took a $5,000 kickback.

Marinakos, who will testify under a grant of immunity, was the key player communicating with real estate speculator Richard Basciano, who owned the site; Campbell; and city officials, Hobson added.

Hobson said Sean Benschop, the 44-year-old North Philadelphia excavator operator, was "stoned on marijuana" when maneuvering the 36,000-pound piece of equipment when the wall toppled.

Benschop, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other crimes, will testify for the prosecution, said co-prosecutor Jennifer Selber.

Hobson told the jury his client had a fraud conviction, had declared bankruptcy, and owed back taxes, all of which he tried to keep from the jury in a pretrial hearing.

On Wednesday, however, Hobson said that Campbell would testify, which will allow prosecutors to question him about past legal problems.

Selber said in her opening statement that Campbell alone put into motion events that "led to the worst catastrophe Philadelphia has seen in years."

Selber said evidence would show that Campbell violated "even the most basic principles of safe demolition" to boost the salvage value of the building's wooden beams and joists.

Selber called that "cash over safety," and said Campbell ignored several warnings about the dangers of the unsupported masonry wall from Benschop and other workers.

The collapse's aftermath has included lawsuits against Basciano and the Salvation Army, and a continuing debate over how to improve the role of the Department of Licenses and Inspections in overseeing demolition projects.

But, after two years of investigation by a grand jury, the question of criminal responsibility for what happened on June 5, 2013 settled on just Campbell and Benschop.

Benschop pleaded guilty on July 21 to six counts of involuntary manslaughter - one for each person killed - 12 counts of reckless endangerment for 12 people injured, and one count of aggravated assault for a woman buried for 13 hours who lost both legs.

Benschop also pleaded guilty to conspiracy and causing a catastrophe in a deal in which prosecutors agreed to seek a prison term of 10 to 20 years.

Campbell has maintained his innocence and on Sept. 21 rejected the same deal offered Benschop, despite being subject to a life prison term without parole if the jury finds him guilty of more than one count of third-degree murder.

jslobodzian@phillynews.com

215-854-2985 @joeslobo

www.philly.com/crimeandpunishment