Corporation pleads guilty in carbon monoxide deaths at Boone hotel

BOONE, N.C. — A corporation that owned the Boone hotel where three people died from carbon monoxide poisoning has pleaded guilty, according to a news release.

The charges against Damon Mallatere -- indicted on three counts of involuntary manslaughter -- will be dismissed and the corporation, Appalachian Hospitality Management, will be dissolved.

Three people died in room 225 in 2013 at the Best Western in Boone. Daryl and Shirley Jenkins died on April 16, 2013. In June, Jeffrey Williams, 11, died and his mother suffered serious injuries.

Tests showed the deaths were related to carbon monoxide, that seeped into the room through an exhaust pipe that was supposed to been venting the swimming pool heater below the room.

A joint investigation determined that Appalachian Hospitality Management employees, at the direction of management, improperly installed a pool heater without the required permit and in violation of the North Carolina State Building Code.

The Honorable Alan Z. Thornburg, Superior Court Judge, ordered that the corporation be dissolved as a condition of sentencing.

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