Defendant in San Francisco Ghost Ship fire sentenced to 12 years dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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
Founder of San Francisco Ghost Ship art collective where 36 people died in a 2016 fire pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter - but may serve no time because of good behavior in jail waiting for trial
Derick Almena, 50, plead guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in Alamada County court on Friday, prosecutors say
He was the main leaseholder on a building that caught fire in December 2016, killing 36 people who were attending a dance party
Prosecutors say Almena was criminally negligent when he illegally converted the dilapidated industrial Oakland warehouse into a residence
He also turned it into an event space for artists dubbed the Ghost Ship but was reportedly previously warned that his venue was a fire hazard