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Man pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in Ghost Ship warehouse fire
Man pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in Ghost Ship warehouse fire
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
JAN. 22, 2021 10:14 AM
OAKLAND — The master tenant of a Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a dance party in 2016 pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury.
Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in exchange for a 12-year sentence. Already free on bail, Almena probably won’t return to jail because of the nearly three years he already spent behind bars and credit for good behavior. ... His sentencing was scheduled for March 8 and will determine whether he will continue to be monitored electronically at his home in rural Northern California and be subject to supervised probation.
Prosecutors say Almena was criminally negligent when he illegally converted the industrial Oakland warehouse into a residence and event space for artists dubbed the Ghost Ship, stuffing the two-story building with flammable materials and extension cords. It had no smoke detectors or sprinklers.
The Dec. 2, 2016, fire broke out at the warehouse during an electronic music and dance party, moving so quickly that victims were trapped on the illegally constructed second floor. Prosecutors said the victims received no warning and had little chance to escape down a narrow, ramshackle staircase.
{snip}
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
JAN. 22, 2021 10:14 AM
OAKLAND — The master tenant of a Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a dance party in 2016 pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury.
Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in exchange for a 12-year sentence. Already free on bail, Almena probably won’t return to jail because of the nearly three years he already spent behind bars and credit for good behavior. ... His sentencing was scheduled for March 8 and will determine whether he will continue to be monitored electronically at his home in rural Northern California and be subject to supervised probation.
Prosecutors say Almena was criminally negligent when he illegally converted the industrial Oakland warehouse into a residence and event space for artists dubbed the Ghost Ship, stuffing the two-story building with flammable materials and extension cords. It had no smoke detectors or sprinklers.
The Dec. 2, 2016, fire broke out at the warehouse during an electronic music and dance party, moving so quickly that victims were trapped on the illegally constructed second floor. Prosecutors said the victims received no warning and had little chance to escape down a narrow, ramshackle staircase.
{snip}
