The former manager of rock band Great White has been jailed for four years over that fire at a Rhode Island night club that left 100 people, including the band's guitarist, dead. The sentence followed a deal struck between the defendant and prosecutors back in February when the former manager, Daniel Biechele, pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
As previously reported, Biechele was held liable for the fire because he had been ultimately responsible for the use of the pyrotechnics during the band's show which caused the fire. There was considerable disagreement between him and the owners of the club where the gig took place over whether or not the band had been given permission to use pyrotechnics. Biechele said they had, but club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian said they had specifically denied permission.
Based on that disagreement, Biechele initially pleaded not-guilty to the 200 counts of manslaughter for which he stood accused (two for every fan killed, one for criminal negligence, the other for 'underlying offences' that led to the deaths). However in February he struck a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to 100 counts of manslaughter on the condition he would receive a maximum ten year prison sentence.
The judge sentencing Biechele this week said he had been lenient in terms of the length of his jail time because the former manager was already being punished simply by living with the terrible results of his actions. Superior Court Judge Francis Darigan Jr told the court room: "The greatest sentence that can be imposed upon you, has been imposed upon you by yourself".
The Derderians still also face manslaughter charges over the incident. Even if they did not give permission for the pyrotechnics to be used, they have been criticised for installing flammable soundproofing material in the venue which made the fire much more dangerous.