Digital Extra: The Station Fire

Lawyers for Michael and Jeffrey Derderian want to see education and training records for town officials involved in fire prevention and inspection at the time of the tragic nightclub fire.

01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

BY STEVE PEOPLES
Projo.com Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Lawyers for the owners of The Station nightclub plan to subpoena records from the Town of West Warwick regarding three town employees who played key roles in fire prevention and inspection in February 2003, when a fire at the club killed 100 people.

Lawyers for Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and state prosecutors met with Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. behind closed doors for about an hour yesterday before discussing the subpoenas in open court.

The defense will seek copies of "any and all documents reflecting any training or education received or attended relative to the employment of" former Fire Inspector Denis Larocque, Building Inspector Steven Murray, and firefighter John Peiczarek.

The prosecution team did not object to the subpoena. Darigan agreed to the order, giving West Warwick officials and the state Fire Marshal's office 10 days to comply with the request.

Michael Derderian's attorney, Kathleen Haggerty, would not say why she wanted those specific documents.

The Derderian brothers are each charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Although they were charged under two separate legal theories for each death, they can only be sentenced once because of the constitutional prohibition against being punished twice for the same crime, known as double jeopardy.

The brothers will be tried separately.

Darigan last week scheduled the first trial, for Michael Derderian, to start July 31.

speoples@projo.com / (401) 277-7459