The owner of a 37-foot Pursuit that hit a day marker in the Boston Harbor at 3 a.m. last July, killing a woman, has been indicted for involuntary manslaughter.
The Suffolk District Attorney, Rachael Rollins, announced that the boat owner, Ryan Denver, 38, was also indicted on counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Denver was driving his Pursuit 365 named Make It Go Away in the early morning of July 17 when it hit day marker “5” off Castle Island head on. The boat, powered by three outboards, sank and Denver and his seven passengers were thrown into the water.
The crew of a tug boat nearby saw the accident and called the Coast Guard. It deployed a 29-foot response boat from Boston and a helicopter from Cape Cod. Other emergency responders also rushed to help.
Denver and six of his passengers were rescued, but one, Jeanica Juice, 27, from Somerville, was missing. Divers and other rescue workers found her body at 10 that morning. She had been studying finance at UMass Boston.
In a statement, Rollins said that “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.”
Denver’s attorney, Michael J. Connolly, issued a statement saying the indictment was “a serious overcharge.” It said the evidence showed that Denver was sober at the time of the accident and he was driving at “an appropriate speed” at the time of the crash. He also said the day marker was not illuminated at the time of the crash.
Denver’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 19. Read more:
