The Associated Press
CRANSTON, R.I. — The rock band manager whose pyrotechnics started a fire that killed 100 people in a Rhode Island nightclub waited Wednesday for a parole board to decide if he could leave prison early.
Daniel Biechele, the former tour manager for the 80’s band Great White, has served about one-third of his four-year sentence. He pleaded guilty last year to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
In prison, Biechele has stayed out of trouble and worked as a bookkeeper for a nonprofit agency. The parole board considers such things as remorse, risk of reoffending and plans for life after prison in deciding who gets early release. A decision was expected Wednesday afternoon.
The Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick began when the pyrotechnics ignited flammable soundproofing foam around the stage. The flames quickly spread throughout the one-story roadhouse as the patrons tried to escape.
Biechele admitted lighting the devices without the required permit and apologized at his sentencing. He said he never intended for anyone to be harmed and wasn’t sure he could ever forgive himself.