The former manager of US heavy metal rock group Great White has agreed to plead guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter for his role in a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people
Daniel Biechele, 29, will enter the plea next Tuesday and serve no more than 10 years in state prison under a deal with prosecutors, sparing him the possibility of many more years behind bars, Superior Court Judge Francis Darigan said.
Biechele had been charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter for starting the blaze when he ignited pyrotechnics during a Great White performance at The Station nightclub in West Warwick.
Sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited highly flammable foam lining the club's walls and ceiling, creating a fast-moving blaze that killed 100 people and injured more than 200 in the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in the country's history.
Some victims' relatives reacted angrily to news of the plea bargain, saying they hoped to see Biechele go to trial. Each manslaughter charge carries up to 30 years in prison.
AP