SALT LAKE CITY, UT — More than a year after Morgan Kay Harris and her dog were found dead in a locked, burning storage unit in Utah, prosecutors now say her death was no accident.

According to KSL, the Utah Attorney General’s Office on Thursday filed a first-degree murder charge—along with alternative charges of manslaughter, kidnapping, and aggravated animal cruelty—against her boyfriend, 33-year-old Alexander Paul Wardell.

Harris, 27, died on February 18, 2023, in a blaze that gutted the small storage shed the couple had been living in. When firefighters arrived at the CubeSmart facility on 900 East, they were delayed by a padlock on the unit’s exterior. Inside, they discovered Harris’ body, seated in a plastic-webbed lawn chair, and her dog, both dead from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, according to the Utah state medical examiner.

Wardell, who had a history of domestic violence and was on probation at the time, initially admitted to police that he had locked the unit from the outside before leaving. He claimed Harris was “groggy” when he put her in the chair and that he was going to get food. Surveillance footage captured the couple arriving together, with Harris trailing behind Wardell. Less than 15 minutes later, he was seen leaving alone and entering a nearby Walmart. The fire broke out shortly afterward.

Despite Wardell’s arrest on suspicion of negligent homicide and kidnapping, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced in 2024 that it would not file charges.

District Attorney Sim Gill said a yearlong, $100,000 investigation—one that included burn tests on a full-scale replica of the storage unit—had failed to determine a cause of the fire. While suspicious, Gill said the evidence did not meet the legal threshold to prove Wardell had started the fire or intended to harm Harris.

“How do I prove she did not consent to that? With what evidence do I do that?” Gill asked during a press conference last year, explaining that the lock mechanism was commonly used by the couple and that Harris may not have been forcibly confined. “We scoured. We looked if there was any humanly possible way to articulate the elements for filing charges. We could not get there.”

But prosecutors with the Attorney General’s Office now say new evidence contradicts that conclusion. Charging documents filed Thursday reveal investigators re-examined a duffel bag taken from the scene, discovering a bloodstained, burned shirt. Rapid DNA testing confirmed the blood belonged to Harris. They also concluded the fire started beneath and to the left of her, suggesting she was unconscious as flames spread across her lower body—evidence, they say, of a person unable to react to the pain of being burned alive.

Inside the unit, investigators found a burnt cardboard box containing an intact candlestick, as well as a lighter on Harris’ body. While fire accelerants were not detected, the presence of open flame sources revived questions about how the fire began. Prosecutors also noted that Harris and Wardell had been fighting that day. Surveillance video captured what officials described as an apparent argument between the two just before her death.

Text messages and social media records collected as part of the renewed investigation showed the relationship had become increasingly volatile. Just ten days before the fire, Harris messaged Wardell: “Guess I’m gonna apply to live by myself at an apartment you won’t know about so you can’t (expletive) abuse or kill me.”

Court records indicate Harris had bailed Wardell out of jail two days before her death, the second time she had done so. He had been arrested for violating his probation on a domestic violence charge. On the eve of the fire, prosecutors say Wardell was angry over a financial dispute and had been texting another man about money Harris had allegedly spent. That same day, he also Googled how to obtain a passport.

Wardell is currently serving time at Utah State Prison for earlier domestic violence-related convictions involving another girlfriend, including strangulation and an assault involving a golf club. He has not yet entered a plea in the Harris case. The newly filed charges include sentencing enhancements for domestic violence and habitual offender status.

In a statement Thursday, Gill stood by his decision not to file charges last year, saying he supports the attorney general’s move if new evidence justifies it. “If they feel they can get a conviction based on what they’ve collected, I support that,” he said.

For Harris’ mother, Laurice Williamson, who has publicly grieved the case’s stalled progress, the new charges may offer a long-awaited shift. Speaking to reporters last year, she said, “Morgan was the sweetest person ever. She just doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”

According to a 2023 report by KUTV, Wardell’s parole had been considered just months after entering prison, despite his extensive record and Harris’ death. During a 2023 parole hearing, he admitted to a long history of methamphetamine use and claimed addiction fueled his violent behavior.

If convicted of murder, Wardell faces life in prison. The case now moves forward under the jurisdiction of the Utah Attorney General’s Office, which says the evidence they’ve compiled—including physical, digital, and testimonial—supports their decision to prosecute.