Testimony begins in fire sentencing phase

PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 8 (UPI) -- Even court staff cried Monday as survivors of a Rhode Island nightclub fire described their pain at the sentencing hearing for Great White's tour manager.

Relatives of some of the 100 people who perished in the February 2003 fire during the concert at The Station in West Warwick, R.I., began giving their victim impact statements to Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr., who is scheduled to sentence Daniel Biechele in his Providence, R.I., courtroom Wednesday.

Biechele has pleaded guilty to 100 counts of manslaughter for lighting fireworks that ignited foam installed by the club's owners in an effort to soundproof the room.

William C. Bonardi, whose only son perished in the inferno, told the judge he and his wife "lost our best creation, and our future" the Providence Journal reported.

"A part of us died with him," he said. "This horrific tragedy also destroyed our family name. ... Bonardi will no longer exist."

Paula A. McLaughlin said the loss of her younger brother and his wife has been a "never ending nightmare."

Sobs and sniffling were a constant backdrop as the first 13 witnesses testified. The court stenographer and clerk both both worked through tears, the newspaper said.