Jury weighs guilt of man accused in fatal boat crash

SEATTLE (AP) — The jury is deliberating the case of a suburban real estate agent accused of causing a Lake Washington boat collision that killed a teacher and injured two other people.

The Seattle Times reports that 47-year-old Richard Hicks of Renton is charged with one count of homicide by watercraft and two counts of assault by watercraft. The jury went into deliberations Monday after hearing testimony since July 6.

Prosecutors allege that a 25-foot motorboat operated by Hicks was traveling at high speed when it collided with a 21-foot sailboat carrying seven people in July 2014. Three people from the sailboat were tossed into the water, including 33-year-old Melissa Protz who died of multiple fractures.

Hicks admitted that he had been drinking before the crash, but says the collision was due to an error the sailboat operator made.