Daisy Nguyen
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2016, file photo is the front of The Ghost Ship warehouse damaged from a deadly fire in Oakland, Calif. Relatives of some of the 36 partygoers killed at a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse fire say prosecutors told them Derick Almena, who is accused of illegally converting the warehouse into a cluttered artists enclave, is expected to plead guilty later this month. The victims relatives told the East Bay Times that Almena is expected to plead guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter on Jan. 22, 2021, ahead of his second trial. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) January 22, 2021 - 2:38 PM
Man pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in Ghost Ship warehouse fire
A deadly fire gutted an Oakland artists loft called the Ghost Ship in 2016. Derick Almena (inset) was the manager.
(Los Angeles Times)
OAKLAND
The master tenant of a Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a dance party in 2016 pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury.
Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in exchange for a 12-year sentence. Already free on bail, Almena probably won’t return to jail because of the nearly three years he already spent behind bars and credit for good behavior.
This file photo from exclusive video provided by San Francisco TV station KGO-TV, made late Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, shows Derick Ion Almena, right, and Micah Allison, the couple who operated the Ghost Ship warehouse where dozens died in a fire, at an Oakland, Calif., courthouse.
AP
OAKLAND, Calif. The master tenant of a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a dance party in 2016 pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury.
Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in exchange for a 12-year sentence. Already free on bail, Almena likely won’t return to jail because of the nearly three years he already spent behind bars and credit for good behavior.
Man pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in warehouse fire
By DAISY NGUYENJanuary 22, 2021 GMT
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The master tenant of a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a 2016 dance party pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury.
Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in exchange for a 12-year sentence. Already free on bail, Almena likely won’t return to jail because of the nearly three years he already spent behind bars and credit for good behavior.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson read each count with the name of the victim. When she asked Almena his plea for each charge, he answered “guilty,” but his quiet responses were sometimes inaudible through an online stream of the hearing held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.