A man now faces several charges in a boat crash near Castle Island that left a woman dead after she was thrown overboard.
The owner and operator of a speedboat that crashed in Boston Harbor last July, killing a 27-year-old Somerville woman who was on board, has been indicted on multiple charges.
Ryan Denver, 38, of Boston, was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the Suffolk District Attorney's Office said Thursday.
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Denver owned a speedboat he named "Make It Go Away," and was operating the 37-foot-long vessel in Boston Harbor in the early morning hours of July 17, 2021, prosecutors said. The boat was carrying eight people when it struck a fixed day marker navigational buoy at around 3 a.m. "with such destructive force," according to the district attorney's office, that the boat sank.
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Seven of the occupants were rescued. The eighth person, Jeanica Julce, was not initially found. Her body was recovered hours later.
“Jeanica was a vibrant young woman with a beautiful life ahead of her. She deserved better than to lose everything because of another individual’s recklessness," Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. "That her life ended in this manner is heartbreaking. My office is here to support her loved ones and the surviving victims of this crash to ensure they receive the support and resources they deserve."
An attorney for Denver said in a statement Thursday that he was "devastated at the loss of his close friend," and, while it was "tragic, this incident was indeed an accident, and should not be treated as a criminal matter."
The attorney, Michael J. Connolly, said they the indictment was "based on unreliable data" and represents "a serious overcharge."
Denver was sober and driving the boat reasonably and without speeding that night, Connolly said. The marker the boat hit was not illuminated, and Denver tried to help when the people on board were in the harbor as the boat started to take on water. He has also cooperated with investigators.
"He should not be subjected to criminal charges as a result of this terrible accident," Connolly said.
The district attorney's office said more information about the case will be disclosed at Denver's arraignment, scheduled for Nov. 19.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
