05-12-2006, 03:46 PM
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| Great White Tour Manager Sentenced To Four Years For Role In Tragic Fire
http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2006/05/1106.cfm Great White Tour Manager Sentenced To Four Years For Role In Tragic Fire
Thursday May 11, 2006 @ 08:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
Great White
Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele, who lit the pyrotechnics for the band's 2003 show at a club in West Warwick, Rhode Island that started a fire that killed 100 people, was sentenced to four years in prison on Wednesday.
Biechele, 29, could have received 10 years behind bars. He struck a deal with prosecutors in February where he pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Testimonies from victims' relatives on Monday and Tuesday left many in the courtroom in tears, and Biechele had difficulty holding them back when he apologized for his actions.
"I don't know that I'll ever forgive myself for what happened that night, so I can't expect anyone else to. I never wanted anyone to be hurt in any way. I never imagined that anyone ever would be."
Many victims' family members were upset at what they perceived to be a lenient sentence. Prosecutors had asked for the maximum, while Biechele's lawyers were hoping that their client would get off with doing community service.
Judge Francis Darigan explained his decision to Biechele this way: "The greatest sentence that can be imposed upon you has been imposed upon you by yourself, that is having to live a life, an entire life, knowing that your actions were the proximate cause of the deaths of 100 people."
Biechele was the first person to be sentenced for the fire, which killed Great White guitarist Ty Longley in addition to many members of the audience after the pyro ignited highly flammable soundproofing foam that lined the walls and ceiling of The Station. The club's two owners, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, are awaiting trial on manslaughter charges for installing the foam. Biechele has said that Michael Derderian gave him permission to use the pyrotechnics, while the two brothers refute that claim.
Biechele, the Derderians and others are also being sued by fire survivors and victims' relatives.
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