Captain Sentenced to 4 Years for Criminal Negligence in Deadly 2019 California Boat Fire
LOS ANGELES (NEWSnet/AP) — A federal judge in Los Angeles on Thursday sentenced a scuba dive boat captain to four years in prison for criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel.
The Sept. 2, 2019, blaze was the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history, and prompted changes to maritime regulations, congressional reform and several ongoing lawsuits.
Captain Jerry Boylan was found guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer last year. The charge is a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as seaman’s manslaughter that was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters.
The Conception was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, 25 miles south of Santa Barbara, when it caught fire before dawn on the final day of a three-day excursion, sinking less than 100 feet from shore.
Thirty-three passengers and a crew member died, trapped in a bunkroom below deck.
Boylan was the first to abandon ship and jump overboard. Four crew members who joined him also survived.
During the hearing, Boylan’s attorney read a statement aloud to the court in which he expressed his condolences and said he has cried every day since the fire.
“I wish I could have brought everyone home safe,” the statement said. “I am so sorry.”
In determining a sentence, Wu said he took into account Boylan’s age, health, the unlikelihood of recurrence and the need for deterrence and punishment.
He said while Boylan’s behavior was reckless, the guidelines for sentencing would not warrant a 10-year sentence.
“This is not a situation where the defendant intended to do something bad,” Wu said.
The defense had asked the judge to sentence Boylan to a five-year probationary sentence, with three years to be served under house arrest.
Boylan’s appeal is ongoing.
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