Jerry Boylan, right, captain of the Conception dive boat, was convicted Monday of negligence in the fire that killed 34 people on Labor Day weekend in 2019. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)After a day of deliberations, a federal court jury in Los Angeles on Monday found former Conception dive boat captain Jerry Boylan guilty of gross negligence in the deaths of 34 people in the fiery maritime disaster. Prosecutors said Boylan, who had been a captain for 34 years, was negligent in failing to appoint a night watch or to drill his crew in fire safety. Read more:'We're gonna die': Final words, closing arguments in Conception boat fire trialDefense attorneys said Boylan learned how to run a boat from Glen Fritzler, the owner of the Conception and the company Truth Aquatics, whose boats did not use an overnight watch. But "it's too late for our families," Rosas said.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 07, 2023 06:35 UTC