Killer Show
Page 33
A final important question from the fire is a more general one. In studying the Butler videotape, I was struck by the fact that some people responded bravely to the unfolding crisis, while others seemingly froze. Why? The assumption is that behavior in such a situation is a matter of simple choice. But might it just reflect ingrained character traits?
According to Julie Mellini, Jeff Derderian’s instinct, when she handed him her back-bar cash box in front of the building, was to disappear for a minute; this, while screaming patrons were breaking windows to escape from the front of the club. (A cash box was later found stashed in a snowbank behind the club.) Similarly, Brian Butler continuously shot video for six and a half minutes before putting his camera down to breathlessly phone his TV station that he “had gotten it all on tape.” By contrast, people like plumber Shamus Horan reached through broken windows to drag victim after victim from the inferno. It may just be that some people are born to selfless heroics, or simply conditioned, by example or even military service, to respond decisively in emergency situations.
Five years after the fire, Shamus Horan, who is seen on the Butler tape pulling six or seven victims to safety through broken windows, was taking a morning drive near his home in Coventry, Rhode Island, with his little girl in the car, when he saw tire marks that left the pavement and headed off into the woods. “Another drunk last night,” mused Horan. But as he slowed for the turn himself, he heard a small voice crying, “Help us! Help us!” Then he spotted a car, off the road, overturned and partially submerged in a rain-swollen brook. He pulled over and told his daughter that he’d be right back.
Wading into the cold water, Horan could see the lower half of a woman’s body, belted into the driver’s seat, with head and chest submerged. The cries were coming from a toddler, strapped into a rear child seat, who had managed to twist so that her head was just above the water’s surface.
Struggling with her three-point harness, Shamus was able to free the driver and drag her blue, lifeless body to the riverbank. He then returned to the car, where he unbuckled the crying girl from her car seat and handed her, uninjured, to a woman who had stopped at the scene. Horan waded back to the car, groping about in the wet blackness to make sure no one else was trapped.
Satisfied that no other victims remained in the vehicle, the exhausted rescuer trudged back to shore and gazed down at the woman lying motionless at his feet. Horan had been raised on a farm. He’d cared for birthing calves and dying animals. He thought he knew life and death when he saw them. But the woman who had helped him with the toddler said, “I think she’s alive!”
At that instant, the thought that he was standing by, and not helping someone who just might have a chance, appalled Horan. He began frenzied CPR. Clear an airway. Chest compressions. Mouth-to-mouth. Miraculously, the blue form stirred, coughed, spit up water . . . and began breathing. Two days later, Horan accepted the woman’s personal thanks from her hospital bed. She recovered completely.
Years have passed, and Shamus Horan occasionally sees the woman from the accident, walking past his house with her granddaughter. All three smile and wave. It means much more to the humble pipefitter than the engraved hero’s plaque that was presented to him by the Town of Coventry.
None of us knows how we might react to imminent peril to ourselves or others. We’d like to think that we would act swiftly, appropriately, and decisively. However, it’s probably not even a matter of choice, but one of nature. We can only hope that if that terrible day comes, our nature will help us rise to the challenge.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THIS BOOK WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE without the meticulous research of Jenna Wims Hashway, who examined thousands of documents in order to locate all the important stuff. Her editing of chapter drafts was, thankfully, both helpful and humane.
Sincere praise is also due the many newspaper reporters who covered the Station nightclub fire. From the moment their police radio scanners first crackled with the news, up to and through its legal aftermath, Providence Journal reporters, photographers, and editors upheld a proud tradition, earning Pulitzer Prize finalist honors for the Journal’s outstanding coverage of the tragedy. The Boston Globe and New York Times also provided valuable secondary source material. Killer Show simply could not have been written years after the event without those journalists’ outstanding work under fire and on deadline.
Several people generously educated me in their areas of expertise as the project took shape. All accurate information on those subjects is theirs; any mistakes, mine. On the subject of crowd behavior in fires, the late Professor Guylene Proulx provided valuable insights; on forensic archaeology, Dr. Richard Gould; on fire science, the late Robert Brady Williamson; and on criminal procedure, attorney Robert Mann.
Many thanks to Jeff Drake of Drake Exhibits for his rendering of the Station floor plan used in the book. His accurate diagrams of the club’s construction were invaluable during the civil litigation. William White Legal Photography provided critically important images in support of the cases. Also, Tim Kenny of Power Showz Inc. furnished incomparable audio-visual support for several of the mediations.
My sincerest thanks and admiration go to Professor Francis McGovern of Duke University School of Law, whose selfless work enabled fair allocation of settlement proceeds among the Station fire victims. His unfailing professionalism and empathy remain an inspiration to me.
Successful prosecution of the civil cases arising from the fire could not have been accomplished by any single attorney or firm. It was a team effort of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee. Attorneys who worked on that committee, in alphabetical order, were John Barylick, Stephen Breggia, Patrick Jones, Eva Mancuso, Mark Mandell, Steven Minicucci, Charles Redihan, Michael St. Pierre, Peter Schneider, and Max Wistow. Additionally, mediator Paul Finn helped facilitate settlements with several major defendants.
Thanks so much to Aaron Priest and Lucy Childs Baker of the Aaron Priest Literary Agency, who were strongly supportive of this project from the outset. Stephen Hull, acquisitions editor at the University Press of New England, was instrumental in making a welcoming home for this book at UPNE. Thank you, Steve, and editor-in-chief Phyllis Deutsch, for this privilege.
To my early readers, Sally Barylick, Raphael Boguslav, Mary Ann Kesson, John and Ginny Bunnell, Holly and Steven Massey, and Bill Griffith—thanks for your wonderful encouragement and suggestions. To Jean Skeffington and Laura Jensen, who insisted early on that “these stories must be told,” thank you for lighting a proverbial fire under me.
To Wilbur, my yellow Lab, who understands that on late writing nights, bedtime only really begins after the four-tone Windows “shutdown sound,” thanks for warming the floor at my feet those three years. Good boy!
And to Marie, Chris, and Anne, who have far more patience with me than one may fairly ask of a family, thank you for reading each chapter hot off the press and gently steering me right.
Finally, I would ask a moment of silence for all victims of the Station nightclub fire and their families. This is their story, not mine. In a book this length, only some of their experiences can be described, and those, admittedly, imperfectly. The few victims whose stories appear in the book are representatives of a much larger class, whose members’ cumulative suffering cannot be adequately portrayed in any book or books. For those families, the book will never be closed.
APPENDIXES
PERSONS KILLED IN THE STATION NIGHTCLUB FIRE
Louis Alves, 33
Kevin Anderson, 37
Stacie Angers, 29
Chris Arruda, 30
Eugene Avilez, 21
Tina Ayer, 33
Karla Bagtaz, 41
Mary Baker, 32
Tom Barnett, 38
Laurie Beauchaine, 35
Steve Blom, 40
William Bonardi, III, 36
Richard Cabral, Jr., 37
Kristine Carbone, 38
William Cartwright, 42
Edward Corbe
tt, III, 31
Michael Cordier, 32
Alfred Crisostomi, 38
Robert Croteau, 31
Lisa D’Andrea, 42
Matthew Darby, 36
Dina DeMaio, 30
Albert DiBonaventura, 18
Christina DiRienzo, 37
Kevin Dunn, 37
Lori Durante, 40
Edward Ervanian, 29
Thomas J. Fleming, 30
Rachael Florio-DePietro, 31
Mark Fontaine, 22
Daniel Frederickson, 37
Michael Fresolo, 32
James Gahan, IV, 21
Melvin Gerfin, Jr., 46
Laura Gillett, 32
Charline Gingras-Fick, 35
Michael Gonsalves, 40
James Gooden, Jr., 37
Derek Gray, 22
Skott Greene, 35
Scott Griffith, 41
Pamela Gruttadauria, 33
Bonnie Hamelin, 27
Jude Henault, 37
Andrew Hoban, 22
Abbie Hoisington, 28
Michael Hoogasian, 31
Sandy Hoogasian, 27
Carlton Howarth, III, 39
Eric Hyer, 32
Derek Johnson, 32
Lisa Kelly, 27
Tracy King, 39
Michael Kulz, 30
Keith Lapierre, 29
Dale Latulippe, 46
Stephen Libera, 21
John Longiaru, 23
Ty Longley, 31
Andrea Mancini, 28
Keith Mancini, 34
Steven Mancini, 39
Judith Manzo, 37
Thomas Marion, 27
Jeffrey Martin, 33
Tammy Mattera-Housa, 29
Kristen McQuarrie, 37
Thomas Medeiros, 40
Samuel Miceli, Jr., 37
Donna Mitchell, 29
Leigh Ann Moreau, 21
Ryan Morin, 31
Jason Morton, 38
Elizabeth Mosczynski, 33
Katherine O’Donnell, 26
Nicholas O’Neill, 18
Matthew Pickett, 33
Carlos Pimentel, Sr., 38
Christopher Prouty, 34
Jeffrey Rader, 32
Theresa Rakoski, 30
Robert Reisner, 29
Walter Rich, 40
Donald Roderiques, 46
Tracey Romanoff, 33
Joseph Rossi, 35
Bridget Sanetti, 25
Rebecca Shaw, 24
Mitchell Shubert, 39
Dennis Smith, 36
Victor Stark, 39
Benjamin Suffoletto, 43
Linda Suffoletto, 43
Shawn Sweet 28
Jason Sylvester, 25
Sarah Telgarsky, 37
Kelly Vieira, 40
Kevin Washburn, 30
Everett Thomas Woodmansee, III, 30
Robert Young, 29
Source: “The Station” (Memorial Biography edition),
Providence Journal, March 20, 2003.
OUTCOME OF CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS
DAN BIECHELE Pleaded guilty to one hundred counts of involuntary manslaughter; sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment, of which eleven years were suspended; thus, four years “to serve.” He was paroled after serving sixteen months.
MICHAEL DERDERIAN Pleaded nolo contendere to one hundred counts of involuntary manslaughter; sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment, of which eleven years were suspended; thus, four years “to serve.” He was paroled after serving twenty-seven months.
JEFFREY DERDERIAN Pleaded nolo contendere to one hundred counts of involuntary manslaughter; sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, all of which were suspended; ordered to perform five hundred hours of community service.
JACK RUSSELL Never charged.
DENIS LAROCQUE Never charged.
OUTCOME OF CIVIL LAWSUITS
Defendants in the consolidated civil actions who contributed toward global settlement:
ABC Bus Inc. and Superstar Services LLC
$500,000
American Foam Corp.;
Jo-Ann DerManouelian,
Everett Marabian,
Paul Plourde in their capacity as executors of the estate of Aram Dermanouelian;
Barry Warner
$6,300,000
Anheuser-Busch Incorporated;
Anheuser-Busch Companies Incorporated;
Busch Entertainment Corporation;
Busch Media Group Inc.
$5,000,000
Celotex Corporation
$1,500,000
Clear Channel Broadcasting Inc.:
WHJY Inc. and Capstar Radio Operating Co.
$22,000,000
High Tech
Special Effects Inc.;
Luna Tech Inc.
$6,000,000
JBL Incorporated
f/k/a James B. Lansing
Sound Incorporated
d/b/a JBL Professional
$815,000
Joseph LaFontaine d/b/a
New England
Custom Alarm
$1,000,000
LIN Television Corporation;
TVL Broadcasting of Rhode Island, LLC;
LIN TV Corp.;
TVL Broadcasting Inc.;
STC Broadcasting Inc.;
Brian Butler
$30,000,000
McLaughlin & Moran Inc.
$16,000,000
Polar Industries Inc.;
Home Depot USA Inc.
$5,000,000
Leggett & Platt Incorporated;
Leggett & Platt
Financial Services Co.
$18,200,000
General Foam Corporation;
GFC Foam, LLC;
PMC Inc.;
PMC Global Inc.
$11,250,000
Wm. T. Burnett & Co. Incorporated;
Wm. T. Burnett Management Inc.;
Wm. T. Burnett & Co.;
Wm. T. Burnett Operating, LLP
$300,000
FFNC Inc.
$250,000
Sealed Air Corporation;
Sealed Air Corporation (US)
$25,000,000
Triton Realty Limited Partnership;
Triton Realty Inc.;
Raymond J. Villanova;
Framingham-150 FR Realty Limited Partnership;
Seekonk-226 Limited Partnership;
Frances A. Villanova
$5,000,000
Town of West Warwick;
Denis Larocque;
Stephen Murray;
Anthony Bettencourt;
Malcolm Moore
$10,000,000
State of Rhode Island;
Irving Owens
$10,000,000
Jack Russell
Jack Russell Touring Inc.;
Paul Woolnough;
Manic Music Management Inc.;
Knight Records Inc.;
Daniel Biechele;
Mark Kendall;
David Filice;
Eric Powers
$1,000,000
DERCO, LLC
Jeffrey Derderian
Michael Derderian
$813,218.32
Essex Insurance Company
$100,000
Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London
$100,000
Surplex Underwriters Inc.
$35,000
V. B. Gifford & Company Inc.
$7,500
Gresham & Associates of R.I. Inc.; and Gresham & Associates of Rhode Island Inc.
$10,000
Anchor Solutions Company Inc.
$10,000
Howard Julian;
HJJ Productions Inc. and La Villa Strangiato Inc.
$3,000
$176,193,718.32
NOTES & SOURCES
PREFATORY NOTE CONCERNING SOURCES FOR THE BOOK
After pleas of guilty and nolo contendere were entered by Dan Biechele and the Derderian brothers, the Providence Journal, the
Associated Press, and the Boston Globe filed a public records request for the Rhode Island attorney general’s entire file concerning the Station nightclub fire. In an unprecedented concession to public disclosure, on November 29, 2006, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch released more than three thousand pages of documents, photographs, and transcripts of grand jury proceedings, uploading all to a publicly accessible website maintained by his department. Included in the materials were hundreds of witness statements and sworn testimony of key players in the tragedy. The attorney general also made his entire file of these documents (edited for privacy and sensitivity) available at no cost to anyone furnishing his department with a computer hard drive for receiving the data. For at least three years thereafter, the Providence Journal provided links on its own website to the attorney general’s materials, indexing them according to persons of particular interest, but also providing a portal to all of the AG’s materials.
This trove of first-person accounts was extensively used in researching Killer Show. Where a source citation is to a “witness statement,” “grand jury testimony,” or a document contemporaneous with the fire, that source was contained in the materials publicly released by the attorney general and available on his website for multiple years. Where a source citation is to a pleading in the Station fire civil litigation, such document was a public record in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, available in hard copy through the court clerk, or electronically through the court’s PACER system of document retrieval. The Brian Butler videotape of the fire was, similarly, available to the public for several years on DVD through the federal court clerk’s office as an exhibit to pleadings filed in the consolidated civil cases.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Domestic Preparedness hired the Titan Corporation to prepare an “after-action report” on emergency response to the fire. That document was extremely valuable in reconstructing official response to the event. Finally, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), part of the United States Department of Commerce, produced a multivolume report on the causes of the fire and the inability of many patrons to escape. That report, also available to the public, was used in researching Killer Show.