The trial of two operators of Oakland’s Ghost Ship warehouse has resulted in an acquittal for one individual and a hung jury for the other, as ABC 7 San Francisco. Max Harris—the “creative director of the warehouse”—was acquitted on all charges. The jury failed to come to a full conclusion in the case of Derick Almena, the master tenant of the warehouse. Both men were facing 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The judge declared a mistrial for Almena because the jury was deadlocked 10-2. Almena will be back in court on October 4 to determine a new date for future court proceedings.
In July 2018, Almena and Harris pled no contest to manslaughter and were sentenced to nine and six years in prison, respectively. One month later, however, a California judge rejected the plea deals, stating that the men did not accept “full responsibility and remorse” for the deadly 2016 fire that killed 36 people. The pair were each facing up to 39 years in prison for the dozens of involuntary manslaughter charges.
Derick Almena, who is now 49 years old, was the artist collective leader and master tenant at Ghost Ship; Max Harris, 29, was the acting creative director.
Revisit “After Ghost Ship Fire, Oakland DIY Grapples With a Broken System” on the Pitch.
This article was originally posted on September 5 at 5:52 p.m. Eastern. It was last updated on September 5 at 6:40 p.m. Eastern.
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