SPOKANE, Wash. – Witnesses took the stand Friday in the trial of a man accused of killing three people in a boat crash on Lake Coeur d’Alene in 2016.
Dennis Magner, a former Spokane ad executive, is facing manslaughter charges related to the crash.
It was not hard for the sound of that collision to carry over Lake Coeur d'Alene, neighbors and witnesses said. They were describing the night Magner allegedly drove his wake boat into another boat.
The three people on that other boat died and their bodies found at the bottom of the lake days later. One of those victims was Caitlin Breeze, 21. She was a student at Gonzaga University. Her mom testified of how they spent time together and met the other victims before the crash.
"We were extremely close. We did everything together. We worked together, shopped together, relaxed together," Jessica Breeze said.
The jury also heard from one of the passengers on Magner's boat, Skye Neversorry. She testified that Magner was knocked out after the crash and that they could not see the victim's unlit boat.
"There was no boat," she said.
"It was very obvious that something had happened. That was as loud of a collision as I had ever heard," Hugh Diener said.
Diener lives on the lake and saw Magner's boat go by but did not see the crash. He only heard it. Magner's lawyer asked him to clarify how the boat was moving adding to his argument that Magner was not driving recklessly.
Prosecutors have argued that Magner was drunk at the time of the crash and that he is to blame for the deaths. The defense has called the crash a "tragic accident," but said that Magner wasn't intoxicated and that the other boat could not be seen.
Magner's trial is expected to last two to three weeks.