News Nearby: Defendant Acquitted of Homicide in Lake Lanier Boating Deaths

Written by Steven Burns

A Hall County jury Thursday (Nov. 14) found Paul Bennett, of Cumming, not guilty of homicide by vessel in the 2012 Lake Lanier boating deaths of two Gwinnett County boys.

Bennett was found guilty on other counts -- one count of boating under the influence, two counts of reckless operation of a vessel, and one count of violation of duty to render assistance, according to the Gainesville Times.

Bennett was sentenced to 30 months in prison, 18 months of probation and 340 hours of community service, according to wsbtv.com.

The trial, which began Nov. 4, was over a June 2012 boating collision, in which Buford boys Griffin Prince and Jake Prince were killed. Bennett piloted a boat that crashed into a pontoon boat piloted by the Prince boys' father.

The Prince family of Buford is not happy about the verdict that a Hall County jury reached in the trial over the 2012 boating deaths on Lake Lanier.

"Not a day goes by that I don't shed tears," Mike Prince, father of Jake and Griffin Prince, told the judge after the verdict, according to WSB TV. "My heart is broken."

As it turned out, Bennett's verdict was decided by 11 jurors. One juror was removed Thursday for allegedly looking online for details in the case, according to wsbtv.com. Bennett agreed to having 11 jurors decide the case.

Bennett's attorney, Barry Zimmerman, of Norcross, said after the trial, "The boating laws are clear, and Mr. Bennett was not at fault for that accident, and that's what we got across to the jury, and that's what they determined," in a video on myfoxatlanta.com.

-- What's your reaction to the verdict in this case? Tell us in the comments below.