Boston Area News

PROVIDENCE,RI (AP) ― A wrenching decision to take a severely burned daughter off life support.

A family portrait that's missing a beloved son and grandson.

The grim realization that a child is not coming home.

Family members are speaking about the pain and holes left in their lives after their loved ones died because of a deadly 2003 nightclub fire. Former Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele will be sentenced Wednesday, after dozens of victim impact statements today and tomorrow.

Andrea Silva says the loss of her uncle, Thomas Medeiros, told the court that her uncle will never see her get married, and never be with the family for Sunday dinner.

Tina Ayer talked about the "permanent depression" she suffers from losing her twin sister in the fire, while William Bonardi told the court that the deadly fire claimed his only child.

Biechle pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and faces a maximum of ten years in prison under a plea deal.

29-year-old Daniel Biechele set off a flashy pyrotechnics display that sparked the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub. He pleaded guilty in February to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and under the plea deal could be sentenced to serve no more than 10 years in prison.

The sentence will be imposed at the end of the hearing that opened Monday at 10 a.m. with dozens of victims' relatives allotted five minutes each to describe how the fire has affected their lives.

Timothy Miceli read a letter from his mother that said she wakes every morning knowing she'll never see her son's warm smile again. Miceli's bother, Samuel Miceli, was among the 100 who died in the blaze.

About 30 victims' relatives plan to read impact statements to Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. on Monday and Tuesday. A representative from the attorney general's office will read prepared remarks from other relatives, and Biechele will be able to address the judge before he is sentenced Wednesday afternoon.

On the night of the fire, as the heavy metal band Great White took the stage and launched into its first song, Biechele ignited four small pyrotechnic devices that each sprayed 15-foot-long streams of sparks. The sparks quickly ignited flammable foam used as soundproofing around the stage.

Besides the 100 people who perished, more than 200 others were injured.

Criminal charges are still pending against brothers Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, who owned the nightclub and are accused of installing the foam. They have pleaded not guilty. Michael Derderian's trial is scheduled to begin July 31. A trial date hasn't been set for his brother.

The attorney general's office is seeking the maximum prison term possible under the plea deal, saying Biechele acted callously and recklessly by igniting the pyrotechnics inside the crowded club. Biechele's lawyers are asking for community service rather than jail time, saying he never intended to harm anyone and could not have known about the foam on the club's walls.

Biechele, who lives in Florida, married his high school sweetheart within the last month and works at a flooring company while taking accounting classes at night, his lawyers said in a recent court filing. He has expressed remorse by writing personalized letters of apology to the victims' families.

Though Biechele used the pyrotechnics in previous Great White concerts, he did not have the required permit to ignite them in Rhode Island. Biechele says he had permission from Michael Derderian to use the pyrotechnics; the Derderians have said no such permission was ever given.

Ten months after the fire, a state grand jury indicted Biechele and the Derderians on 200 counts each of involuntary manslaughter -- two counts for each person who died under separate legal theories.

Though many victims' relatives were angered by the plea deal and hoped to see Biechele stand trial, others hold him less responsible than the club owners or fire inspectors who did not detect the flammable foam. Only Biechele and the Derderians were charged.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)