The majority of the subpoenas went to survivors of the Feb. 20, 2003 fire, which killed 100 people.

01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, July 18, 2006

BY PAUL EDWARD PARKER
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Prosecutors have issued 257 subpoenas for potential witnesses in the Station fire trial of Michael Derderian, one of the club's owners, which is scheduled to start Sept. 5, according to a Superior Court statement yesterday.

The subpoenas went to 231 Rhode Island residents and 26 others, according to the court.

A spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said yesterday that prosecutors have subpoenaed even more witnesses than have been filed with the court so far, estimating the number at more than 300. How many of those will actually be called to testify remains unclear. "We anticipate calling these witnesses, but, once the trials starts, our needs may change," spokesman Michael J. Healey said last night.

Information on potential defense witnesses was not available last night.

Michael Derderian and his brother Jeffrey Derderian, the nightclub's other owner, each are charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter, two for each of the 100 people who died in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire. Ultimately, they could only be sentenced on 100 counts. Jeffrey Derderian's trial is scheduled to follow his brother's.

The majority of the subpoenas went to survivors of the West Warwick nightclub fire. The potential witnesses include Eric Powers and David Filice, who were members of Great White, the band whose fireworks touched off the blaze.

Also listed were police and fire officials, including two fire inspectors from West Warwick, Denis Larocque and John Peiczarek, who had failed to note polyurethane foam that had been installed on the nightclub's walls as soundproofing. Polyurethane foam is highly flammable and helped the fire spread rapidly throughout The Station. It was a violation of the fire code to use it as a wall covering.

Barry Warner, the American Foam Corp. salesman who sold the foam to the Derderians, also has been subpoenaed, along with Aram Dermanouelian, owner of the foam company.

Prosecutors have also issued subpoenas to two photographers, one who took pictures of the club before the fire and one who photographed the early stages of the fire from inside the nightclub.

Several Station employees received subpoenas, as well as a beer company salesman who was handing out free samples the night of the fire.

A subpoena also went to Armando Machado, who had sought to buy the nightclub from the Derderians, but the deal fell through about a month before the fire.

Prosecutors have subpoenaed Kristin Link Derderian, who was the office manager for the nightclub. She testified before a grand jury a month after the fire and offered details about how the business operated. Since then, she married Michael Derderian and has said she will invoke her marital privilege and refuse to testify against her husband. Prosecutors have asked Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. to hold a hearing on her marital privilege and are exploring whether her grand jury testimony could be read at her husband's trial.

Daniel Biechele, the Great White tour manager who pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and is serving four years at the Adult Correctional Institutions, is not on the list of subpoenas released by the court yesterday. In an earlier filing, Biechele was identified as a prosecution witness.

pparker@projo.com / (401) 277-7360