Ten months after that tragic fire at The Station club in the Rhode Island town of West Warwick in which 100+ fans of rock band Great White were killed, the Rhode Island grand jury yesterday issued three criminal indictments.
Where to put the blame for the tragedy centres on who decided to go ahead with the pyro display that caused the fire - especially given the size of the space and the fact sound-proofing padding was flammable. The venue said the band did not have permission to use pyros, the band's management said their full set had been approved.
After a long investigation the grand jury decided to proceed with action against both sides - indicting both former Great White tour manager Dan Biechele and club owners Michael and Jeffrey Derderian. All three were charged with 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter with criminal negligence (a felony charge) and 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in violation of a misdemeanor (a misdemeanor charge). They all pleaded not-guilty and are expected to be freed on bail today.
A spokesman for the band told Billboard yesterday: "Obviously, we're pleased that none of the band members were indicted, and from the beginning we didn't think that would be appropriate. We're also saddened that Dan Biechele was indicted for the small part he played in this horrible tragedy."
The grand jury's investigation is independent from the estimated $1 billion of civil suits that have been filed by families of those who died in the tragedy.
Via: CMU
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