COEUR D’ALENE, Id. – Dennis Magner has been found not guilty of three counts of involuntary manslaughter Friday in an incident that involved a deadly boat crash that killed three people.
Several people in the court room cried quietly and turned to comfort each other with hugs after the jury read the verdict.Family members of the victims could be heard quietly weeping after the verdict was read. Some of them, showing their disgust for the verdict, and asking not to be photographed.
Magner was reportedly driving the boat on Lake Coeur d’Alene on July 30, 2016, when his boat collided with another boat, causing the death of Justin Luhr, Justin Honken and Caitlin Breeze. Some of the families have filed civil suits against Magner, but those are unrelated to this criminal trial.
Magner was also originally charged with criminal conspiracy stemming from false statements he made. But on July 12, a judge granted a motion from his lawyers to have that charge thrown out. The judge cited state law, saying that statements Magner made at the time could not be viewed as evidence. This was a win for the defense, but prosecutors had some motions granted, too.
The judge had also ruled that prior DUI arrests for Magner could not be used as evidence. Part of the criminal history of one of his passengers, who allegedly also lied to police, was allowed to be admitted.
His lawyers argued that he was driving his boat responsibly the night of the crash, and that he could not see the victims boat because it did not have any lights on it.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Magner testified on the stand and openly told his side of the story for the first time since the incident two years ago.
Magner said Wednesday he does not have memory of the impact. Magner said his memory ended just a few hundred feet before the crash happened. Prosecutors alleged he was intoxicated but the defense has said he received a concussion in the crash and a head wound.
"I hadn't seen this collision coming. And then I had no recollection for a time period afterwards. And that was very confusing," Magner said.
Magner told the court on Tuesday that it was too dark too see the other boat, which reportedly did not have on its lights.
"It was getting dark at that point, it was dark," he said.
One of Magner's passengers, Johnathan Sweat, also testified on Tuesday. He initially told police that he was driving the boat, not Magner.
"I knew that I was, I knew everything that happened and I just said it, I don't know," he said.
Sweat later changed his story and told police that Magner was driving. The defense said that Sweat to police voluntarily and did not conspire with Magner because Magner was knocked out in the crash.
Prosecutors declined to give a statement on Friday's verdict. KREM 2 was still waiting for the defense's response to the verdict Friday afternoon.