SEATTLE — A jury has convicted a Renton man of homicide by watercraft in a fatal boat collision on Lake Washington last year.
The Seattle Times reported that a King County jury deliberated for about a day before returning the verdict Tuesday afternoon in the trial of Richard Hicks, 47. The suburban real estate agent was also found guilty of two counts of assault.
Prosecutors said a 25-foot motorboat operated by Hicks was traveling at high speed when it collided with a 21-foot sailboat carrying seven people in July 2014. Three people from the sailboat were tossed into the water, including Melissa Protz, 33, who died of multiple fractures.
Hicks admitted that he had been drinking before the crash, but said the collision was due to an error by the sailboat operator, who had also been drinking.
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