Owner of R.I. club gets July trial in fire

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A judge on Tuesday set a July trial date for one of the two owners of a nightclub where 100 people died in a 2003 fire.

The trial for Michael Derderian, who is charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter along with his brother, was scheduled for July 31 in Kent County Superior Court in Warwick, not far from the scene of the fire, Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. said.

Most of the pretrial proceedings have taken place in Providence, but “this is a Kent County case,” Darigan said.

The Feb. 20, 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick started when sparks from a rock band’s pyrotechnics ignited flammable soundproofing foam inside the club.

A third defendant, former Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele, pleaded guilty last month to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter for setting off the pyrotechnics without a permit. He faces no more than 10 years in prison when he is sentenced this spring.

Jeffrey Derderian is being tried separately from his brother. His trial date hasn’t been announced.

AP-ES-03-14-06 1611EST