Man Ordered To Stand Trial In Deadly Boat Crash In Long Beach's Alamitos Bay

LONG BEACH, CA — The owner of a sport-fishing boat that crashed into the jetty of Long Beach's Alamitos Bay last year, killing one of his passengers, was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on two felony counts.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Debra Cole denied defense attorney Michael Balmer's motion to dismiss the case against Kevin King, 58, of Long Beach, who was charged in March with one count each of vehicular manslaughter involving a vessel with great negligence and operating a watercraft while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage.

Speaking with reporters after the nearly 1 1/2-day hearing in a Long Beach courtroom, King's attorney maintained that his client was not behind the steering wheel at the time of the July 3, 2024, night-time crash that left John Correa, 59, of Long Beach, dead at the scene.

Seven other passengers were seriously injured, with the case against King including allegations that he personally inflicted great bodily injury on them, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Some were knocked unconscious during the crash.

A number of the boat's passengers testified that they had not seen anyone other than King operating the boat that night, though some of the passengers indicated they were downstairs on the vessel and didn't know who was at the steering wheel at the time of the crash.

Rescue boat Captain Aaron Fletcher said under questioning by Deputy District Attorney Tracy Sims that alcohol use had an impact on King's ability to safely operate the boat. He acknowledged that no one told him King had been drinking excessively or that King was definitively operating the vessel at the time of the collision.

Fletcher said medical records indicated King's blood-alcohol content was measured at nearly twice the legal limit considered impaired, while the defense attorney contended that authorities didn't consider that his client's results were skewed by "acute blood loss anemia" as a result of his injuries from the crash.

Officer James Connell of the Long Beach Police Department testified that he responded to the hospital where King had been taken and met with him after the crash. He said King informed him that he was the boat's owner and said he believed he had been behind the wheel at the time of the collision.

The officer said King told him he had two glasses of wine while the vehicle was adrift before heading back toward the dock.

One of the Four Kings' passengers, Sarah Cameron, said King had asked her to make him a rum and Coke that night, with another passenger, Dena Noble, said she saw what she believed was King drinking what looked like that beverage. Another passenger said she remembered King had been drinking a margarita.

Jesse Howard, who was among those on the boat that night, testified that he and his wife were downstairs when the vessel hit something.

"It was pretty horrific," he said, saying that he soon realized that his wife was injured on the floor and that he went upstairs to take control of the vessel and turn it off and then jumped on to the jetty in an effort to help clear the boat's occupants because he thought the vessel might go up in flames.

Howard noted that Correa appeared to be lifeless after the crash, with another witness saying that he knew Correa was "gone at that time."

When asked by King's attorney if his client ever appeared to be under the influence that night, Howard said, "No ... I trusted Kevin 100%."

King's girlfriend, Rebecca Lury, was called by the defense during the hearing to challenge other passengers' accounts of where King was found after the crash. She said she saw him in the walkway, not near the steering wheel as others testified they saw him.

Devon Beebe, a marine safety officer who responded to the collision, said the 48-foot sport-fishing boat had taken on a significant amount of water and that her top priority was the rescue and safety of those aboard. She said she initially told police that Correa was in the driver's seat, but testified that she later determined that was incorrect after she returned to the boat the next day during daylight and realized the steering wheel was on the left side.

"I was incorrect referring to the passenger's seat as the driver's seat that night," she testified.
She noted that Correa was a family friend whom her parents knew but she had never met and that she knew King's niece.

Nearing the end of the hearing, the judge noted that the case has gotten "really nasty" for the community, saying she was guessing that they were all friends before the crash.

"It's a shame," she said.

King remains free on $100,000 bond while awaiting arraignment Jan. 7 before Superior Court Judge Richard Goul.

King's attorney said he will ask Goul to look at the case and reconsider whether there is enough evidence to allow it to proceed to trial.

"I think the evidence (is) going to show that he was not the driver," Balmer told reporters, saying that his client didn't have injuries consistent with being behind the steering wheel. "He wasn't under the influence. He takes his boating very seriously."

In a statement earlier this year announcing the charges, District Attorney Nathan Hochman called the case "a tragic reminder of the devastating consequences of operating any vehicle — on land or water — while under the influence of alcohol."

"A day of recreation turned into a nightmare, leaving one person dead and many others seriously injured," Hochman said then. "My support and sympathy go out to the family and friends of John Correa — a former Millikan High School and UC Berkeley baseball player, coach and mentor — as they continue to mourn their loss, and I wish the injured a full recovery."

The district attorney added that "anyone who chooses to operate a vehicle intoxicated -- whether a car, motorcycle, or boat -- puts lives at risk, and they will be held accountable."

King could face up to 13 years in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney's Office.

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