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In court on Friday, Almena simply replied “guilty” to each of the three dozen counts as read by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson. He was ordered to remain under electronic surveillance before returning to court on March 8 for sentencing.
Almena’s guilty pleas on Friday were part of a deal under which he would serve between 9 and 12 years in prison. A previous plea deal that was supposed to carry a 6 to 9 year prison sentence was rejected in 2018 by another judge.
According to the probable cause document, Almena “allowed and encouraged tenants to use unconventional building materials that he collected to create their living spaces.” These materials included “recycled dry wood, such as fence boards, shingles, window frames, wood carvings, tapestries, pianos, organs, wood furniture, RV trailers, rugs and other dilapidated rooms ”.
They also held musical events there and on the night of December 2, 2016, an electronic dance party was underway when hell broke out.
Ultimately, 36 people died when they could not escape. One of the warehouse exits had been blocked off and the building lacked important security features, such as fire alarms, marked exits and sprinklers, authorities said.
It was one of the deadliest nightclub fires in U.S. history.
CNN’s Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.
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