Conception Captain Sentenced To Four Years In Federal Prison For Boat Fire That Killed 34

Thursday May 02, 2024

(Photos courtesy VCFD and SBCFD)

      Update--The captain of the dive boat Conception was sentenced Thursday to four years in federal prison in connection with the deaths of the 33 passengers and one crew member who died in a fire on board the boat while anchored off Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day 2019.

     He could have received up to ten years in prison.

     Last year a federal court jury found 70-year-old Jerry Boylan of Santa Barbara guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of a ship officer, and offense commonly called "seaman's manslaughter", a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison.

      The jury found Boylan failed in his responsibilities in several ways including failing to be prepared and failing to have his crew be prepared for a fire, failing to have a night watch in case something went wrong on the boat, failing to fight the fire, and most seriously, being the first person to abandon ship leaving the victims to die even though they were still alive when he and the rest of the crew left.

     Boylan remains a free man until July when a hearing will be held on when he will have to report to prison.