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October 25, 2006

AG asks for release of Station fire grand jury testimony

PROVIDENCE -- Attorney General Patrick Lynch has asked the head of the state Superior Court to make public testimony presented to the grand jury that eventually indicted Daniel Biechele and Jeffrey and Michael Derderian for manslaughter in The Station fire case.

A statewide grand jury was impaneled within days of the February 2003 fire at the West Warwick nightclub that killed 100 people. The grand jury conducted an independent, 10-month-long investigation before charging the three. All three pleaded out, averting any disclosure of the testimony during a trial.

Normally, grand jury materials are secret. But in rare circumstances, they can be released with the permission of the presiding judge of the Superior Court, in this case, Joseph F. Rodgers.

Lynch promised to release evidence pertaining to the high-profile case after he announced the plea bargain involving the Derderians.

"Disclosure of the grand jury testimony will serve the public interest because it will provide insight as to the scope and nature of the investigation," Lynch said today in a statement. "This case has generated more public comment and scrutiny than any other case in our state's recent history. If and when the court decides to release this information, the people of Rhode Island can make their own decisions about how and why this tragedy occurred."

Rodgers plans to announce a procedure tomorrow for reviewing Lynch's petition. It's unclear how soon the grand jury testimony could be released if Rodgers agrees with Lynch.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker

Posted by Steve Peoples  at 5:44 PM | Permalink

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