Fire Victims’ Relatives Vent Fury at Sentencing

Enraged that no one will see more than four years in prison for the 2003 nightclub fire in West Warwick that killed 100 people, victims’ relatives vented their fury at a judge as he accepted plea deals from the club’s owners in the name of avoiding a graphic, heart-wrenching trial.

Michael Derderian received four years behind bars, and his brother, Jeffrey, got no prison time after they pleaded no contest to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The fire, sparked by pyrotechnics for the rock band Great White, quickly engulfed The Station nightclub because the Derderians had installed flammable foam on the walls to ease noise concerns.

Judge Francis Darigan abruptly recessed the proceedings at one point to defuse the tension in the room.