A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the manslaughter conviction of the captain of the Conception dive boat who was in charge when 34 people died in a fire while trapped below deck over Labor Day weekend in 2019 off the Channel Islands.
Jerry Boylan 72, was sentenced to four years in federal prison in May 2024 for his role in the deadliest maritime disaster in modern California history. But Boylan, since his sentencing, has remained free pending the appeal.
Boylan had been a captain for 34 years but prosecutors showed that he failed to appoint an overnight roving watch on the night of the fire, ignoring the Certificate of Inspection requirements, which were hanging in his own wheelhouse. Nor did he institute adequate fire safety drills. Prosecutors argued that this left his poorly trained, panic-stricken crew effectively useless amid the fire, which possibly originated in a trash can sometime after 2:35 a.m…