Jan 9, 2008 11:09 pm US/Eastern
Families Speak Out At Nightclub Parole Hearing
WARWICK, R.I. (WBZ) ―
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Station Nightclub Co-owner, Michael Derderian
CBS
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Daniel Biechele, the band's tour manager, was granted parole and is due out in March.
CBS
Families of the victims of a deadly Rhode Island nightclub fire in 2003 gave emotional testimony at Wednesday's parole hearing for Michael Derderian in an effort to keep the club owner behind bars.
Derderian, one of the owners of the Station Nightclub in Rhode Island, headed back to court Wednesday in an effort to get out of prison early.
Derderian was sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter for his role in the 2003 fire that killed 100 people, and injured 200 others.
So far he's served about 16 months of that sentence.
Wednesday's hearing is the first of two parole hearings for Derderian and gave victims' relatives a chance to speak their peace. The board heard from 18 relatives of the victims of the 2003 Station nightclub fire Wednesday night. Of those, only one testified in Derderian's favor.
"If we can survive this life sentence, Michael can survive a little four years," said Gina Russo, whose fiancé was killed in the fire.
Wednesday was Russo's third time testifying before the parole board.
"I do this for Fred," she said. "It's very difficult because we don't feel like anybody's really listening."
The fire began when pyrotechnics from the band Great White ignited flammable soundproofing foam that the Derderians had installed inside the club.
Those who testified Wednesday night believed Derderian put his customers in danger by using flammable materials to soundproof his nightclub. They say it was a cost cutting oversight that lead to the most deadly fire in Rhode Island history.
Daniel Biechele, the band's tour manager, and the person who ignited the pyrotechnics; was granted parole and is due out in March.
Parole board chairwoman Lisa Holley says she has received letters both supporting and opposing Michael Derderian's parole bid.
But some who supported Biechele's parole say they won't do the same for Derderian because they're not convinced he's shown genuine remorse.
The parole board will decide next week whether to grant him an early release.
Michael's brother, Jeffrey Derderian, the other co-owner of the nightclub; was sentenced to probation and 500 hours of community service for his role in the deadly fire.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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