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Boat Owner In July's Fatal Boston Harbor Crash Indicted For Involuntary Manslaughter

BOSTON (CBS) -- The owner and driver of the speedboat that crashed on the Boston Harbor last July and killed 27-year-old Jeanica Julce has been indicted for involuntary manslaughter and other charges. Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins announced the news on Thursday.

Ryan Denver, 38, was operating his 37-foot-long speedboat when he hit a day marker buoy at around 3 a.m. on July 17. The boat then sank, sending all eight people on board into the harbor.

While Denver and six others survived, dive teams pulled Julce's body from the water around 10 a.m. that day.

Boston Harbor Boat Crash
The Coast Guard ultimately searched for Julce for approximately 13 hours. (WBZ-TV)

An arraignment for Denver is scheduled for November 19.

"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," Rollins said in a statement. "That her life ended in this manner is heartbreaking."

Jeanica Julce
Jeanica Julce. (Family photo)

Along with involuntary manslaughter, Denver was indicted on counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Denver's attorney, Michael J. Connolly, released a statement on Thursday, calling the DA's decision to indict Denver as "a serious overcharge".

"The accident that occurred in Boston Harbor last July was a tragic event, that has left Ryan devastated at the loss of his close friend Jeanica Julce," said Connolly. "Though tragic, this incident was indeed an accident, and should not be treated as a criminal matter. We are dismayed that the District Attorney's Office has nonetheless chosen to indict Ryan, based on unreliable data, in what amounts to a serious overcharge by that office."

Later in his statement, Connolly said that the evidence has determined that Denver was sober when he drove his boat and was going "an appropriate speed."

The defense team also said it determined that the day marker that the boat hit was not illuminated at the time of the crash.

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