"Boylan, who was a licensed captain for 34 years, failed to appoint an overnight roving watch on the night of the fire - ignoring the Certificate of Inspection requirements that were hanging in his wheelhouse - and did not institute adequate fire safety drills."
"As the flames spread, blocking the exits for those crowded in the bunk room below, a member of Boylan's crew twice ran by a 50-foot fire hose overhead, trial evidence showed."
"Boylan himself called in a Mayday at 3:14 a.m. and jumped overboard, which prosecutors described as abandoning ship."
"According to Boylan's federal appeals team, the term 'misconduct' permitted the jury to convict him of something less than gross negligence, contrary to the required standard."
Captain Jerry Boylan was convicted of manslaughter after 34 people died in a fire on his dive boat, the Conception, in 2019. He was sentenced to four years in federal prison in May 2024. Boylan failed to implement necessary safety measures, including appointing a roving watch and conducting fire drills. His appeal was denied by the 9th Circuit, which upheld the conviction. Boylan's defense argued that the trial judge misstated the law regarding gross negligence, but the court did not agree.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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