Drunk Boat Driver Guilty of Manslaughter

The driver of a speeding boat that crashed into a concrete buoy off Seal Beach two years ago, killing five passengers, was found guilty Friday of involuntary manslaughter. Then, in a rare courtroom scene, the jury foreman rose and asked the judge, on behalf of all the jurors, for leniency.

The guilty verdict--on all five manslaughter counts with which he was charged--was a shock to family and friends of Virl Earles, 30. At his first trial in January, the jury deadlocked 9 to 3 in favor of acquittal, forcing a mistrial.

“There has been enough suffering in this tragedy; no one gains by making this young man endure anything more,” jury foreman Cyrus Allen of Costa Mesa explained later. “Mr. Earles is a decent man, he did not intend to kill anybody.”

Could Get Up to 6 Years

Earles, his mother and grandmother had waited on a wooden bench outside the courtroom every day since the jury of six men and six women began deliberations Monday afternoon.

Superior Court Judge Jean Rheinheimer allowed Earles to remain free on his own recognizance until sentencing on Oct. 10. Involuntary manslaughter carries a penalty of two, four or six years, but defendants can also apply for probation.

Prosecutor John Conley said he did not know what kind of sentence he would recommend to Rheinheimer, but added that “the foreman’s request for leniency is in my mind.”

Three other passengers in the 1984 accident were injured, as was Earles, who had been drinking the night of the accident, but all have since recovered.