FRANKLIN BOROUGH, NJ (Sussex County) – Thirteen days after a house fire that killed a 13-year-old girl in Franklin Borough, authorities charged the property owner on March 31.
Walter Biller, 48, of Wayne Township was charged following an extensive investigation into the fatal fire on Nestor Street that occurred late in the evening on March 19, 2021, police said.
During the investigation, Franklin Borough detectives along with detectives from the Sussex County Prosecutors Office, determined that Biller, the property owner of 48 Nestor Street, had violated laws intended to protect public health and safety, police said.
It was determined that Biller had not obtained or filed for proper documentation and certifications related to occupancy and fire safety as required by the State and municipalities before completing the lease agreement with the Davenport family in 2019, police said.
Biller received a summons charging a second-degree offense related to this violation because the fire resulted in a fatality. He was released on the summons in accordance with the NJ Bail Reform Act, pending his appearance in Sussex County Superior Court, police said.
