Providence, R.I. – With boxes of tissues spread through the courtroom, sobbing relatives spoke Monday of how they have suffered sleeplessness, depression and a sense of emptiness in the three years since a nightclub fire killed 100 people.
“Our lives were filled with joy and light – and the light stopped and the joy disappeared with Mark’s death,” said Rosanna Fontaine, whose son, 22-year-old Mark Fontaine, perished in the blaze. She spoke on the first day of a sentencing hearing for the former tour manager of the heavy metal band Great White, whose pyrotechnics sparked the 2003 blaze.
Daniel Biechele, 29, pleaded guilty in February to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Under the plea deal, he could be sentenced to no more than 10 years in prison.
Relatives of those who died were given five minutes each to explain how the fire affected them. They etched a portrait of epic grief in a state so small that most residents seemed to know at least one person at the club who was injured or killed.
Some described the pain of knowing their loved ones’ bodies were burned beyond recognition. Others said they keep thinking of their relatives’ last panicked moments as many rushed to the front door – only to be stopped by deadly fumes or the logjam of fellow concertgoers. Some described the end to a family name with the death of an only son.