Man pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in California warehouse fire theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Founder of San Francisco Ghost Ship art collective where 36 people died in a 2016 fire pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter - but may serve no time because of good behavior in jail waiting for trial
Derick Almena, 50, plead guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in Alamada County court on Friday, prosecutors say
He was the main leaseholder on a building that caught fire in December 2016, killing 36 people who were attending a dance party
Prosecutors say Almena was criminally negligent when he illegally converted the dilapidated industrial Oakland warehouse into a residence
He also turned it into an event space for artists dubbed the Ghost Ship but was reportedly previously warned that his venue was a fire hazard
Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in exchange for a 12-year sentence.
Already free on bail, Almena is not likely to return to jail because of the nearly three years he already spent behind bars and credit for good behaviour.
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.
The burned warehouse after the deadly fire (City of Oakland via AP)
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, filling the two-story building with flammable materials and extension cables.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The master tenant of a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a 2016 dance party 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 likely won t return to jail because of the nearly three years he already spent behind bars and credit for good behavior.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson read each count with the name of the victim. When she asked Almena his plea for each charge, he answered “guilty,” but his quiet responses were sometimes inaudible through an online stream of the hearing held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Man Pleads Guilty to Deaths of 36 People in Oakland Warehouse Fire nbcwashington.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nbcwashington.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.