Ghost Ship operator Derick Almena set for retrial on manslaughter charges
He will again be tried for 36 counts of manslaughter following the 2016 fire
Derick Almena, the lead tenant and lease holder of the Ghost Ship warehouse which was destroyed in a fire in 2016 killing 36 people, is to face a retrial in March 2020.
Almena is to once again face trial for 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter following a mistrial last month in which a jury reached a 10-2 deadlock on convicting him of the charges.
Max Harris, who was also partly involved in the running of events at the warehouse space, was acquitted in the September 5th decision and has since been freed from jail. Almena, however, remains in custody with a bail of $750,000 set. His retrial is set to begin on March 30th, 2020.
The fire itself happened on December 2nd, 2016, during a party thrown by the 100% Silk label. It killed 36 people, including a number of key figures in the local Bay Area electronic music scene such as 100% Silk artists Nackt (otherwise known as Johnny Igaz) and Cherushii (otherwise known as Chelsea Faith Dolan).
