Biechele gets parole in Station club fire
The band manager whose pyrotechnic display ignited one of the deadliest nightclub fires in US history will be released from a Rhode Island state prison in March after serving less than half his four-year term, the state's Parole Board announced yesterday.
The board cited letters of support for the parole of Daniel M. Biechele, 30, from relatives of some of the 100 people who died in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the Station nightclub in West Warwick.
"The Board carefully considered the institutional and public input of the victims, both opposed and in favor of his release - the numerous support letters, his progress in the correctional system, his proposed release plan and his low score on our Parole Release Risk Instrument," the board's statement read.
Biechele, who has been working as a bookkeeper for a Rhode Island nonprofit while in jail, pleaded guilty in February 2006 to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. He has served about 16 months of the sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. He acknowledged that he lit the pyrotechnic display without a permit just before the '80s rock band Great White began its first song.
Chris Fontaine's son, Mark A. Fontaine, 22, died in the fire. Fontaine's daughter Melanie Fontaine, 29, was burned but survived, and her daughter's fiancé, John Longiaru, was killed. Despite Biechele's admitted role in her family's pain, Chris Fontaine said the parole decision was appropriate.
"Do I hold him partly responsible for what happened to my son? Yes, I do," Fontaine said in a telephone interview. "I think it was a bad judgment call, but I don't think, if we're going to place blame, that it's with him that the bulk of it lies." Fontaine said, "He is the only one that I feel demonstrated any remorse whatsoever for what happened, and I didn't feel it was put on. It felt genuine."
The nightclub's owners, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, each pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter charges last year, acknowledging that they installed the soundproofing foam, which ignited in the fire. Michael Derderian is serving a four-year term. His brother Jeffrey Derderian was sentenced to community service.
While the Parole Board chairwoman, Lisa Holley, told the Associated Press she was impressed by the large number of letters from relatives in support of Biechele's parole, not all of the victims' relatives favored his early release.
"Four years isn't adequate, but he should have served the four years, at least," Robert Bruyere of Warwick said in a telephone interview. His daughter Bonnie L. Hamelin was 27 when she died in the fire. "I understand he didn't mean to do anything, but he wasn't licensed. He lit the pyrotechnics illegally. He catches four years? Give me a break. Figure it out, per person, how much time he's serving. It's absolutely ridiculous."
Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch also opposed parole. "Although I disagree with the board's decision, I respect it, because it is the product of a careful consideration that has included the voice of victims, whose voices matter more than anybody else," Lynch said in a statement.
Jody King of Warwick, whose 39-year-old brother, Tracy King, died in the fire, said that it was time to move past the fire's negative consequences and that Biechele's parole is part of the process. "I was not expecting him to be paroled on the first shot," King said. "Generally, that does not happen here in Rhode Island - the first time is just a formality. But he got paroled on the first try, and I consider that good. I mean, it's time." Jody King worked with the Derderians and others to establish the Station Education Fund for the education-related expenses of children of the fire victims. Tracy King left behind a widow and three young children, now aged 11, 13, and 15.
Biechele, who was the former tour manager for the band Great White, said at his sentencing in May 2006, that he was not sure whether he'd be able to forgive himself for his role in the catastrophic fire. His attorney, Thomas G. Briody, did not return a call seeking comment.
"This kid has a huge burden to bear for the rest of his life," Chris Fontaine said.
John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com. 