LOS ANGELES — Three years have passed since Captain Jerry Boylan jumped overboard from the Conception dive boat as it was swallowed by flames that killed 34 people onboard off the Channel Islands.
Federal prosecutors say flames engulfed the middle deck and went undetected for several minutes because Boylan did not operate a required roving watch. They claimed he saved himself "rather than attempting to save the 33 passengers and one crewmember who were still alive in the ship's bunkroom" below deck.
But criminal prosecution of the worst maritime disaster in modern California history has taken an unexpected turn.
