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
Prosecutors and Almena’s attorneys cannot comment on the case because they remain under a gag order imposed by Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson.
Almena is charged in the Dec. 2, 2016, fire that swept through an electronic music party at the so-called Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland.
Prosecutors allege Almena, who was the master tenant on the lease, was criminally negligent when he turned the industrial building into a residence for artists and held events without proper permits.
The building was packed with furniture, extension cords and other flammable material but had only two exits and no smoke detectors, fire alarms or sprinklers, prosecutors say.