Andrew Morrell has been found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the 2021 boating accident that claimed the life of Frandie Martin Jr.
A jury returned the verdict in the High Court on Thursday, July 18, before Justice Stanley John, thereby acquitting Morrell of the charge.
Morrell’s other charges—three counts of causing injury to a person while on board a vessel—were previously dismissed following a successful no-case submission by his attorney, Charles Bott, KC, of Martin Kenney and Company.
The case garnered significant public attention since April 2022, when the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution announced Morrell’s arrest and charges. The preliminary findings from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, released on October 19, 2021, detailed the collision involving two motor vessels near Prospect Reef.
According to the police report, the incident occurred sometime after 6:15 p.m. On board the 40-ft monohull Blue Bayou were a captain and four passengers, while the 35-ft Contender, Yeya, carried a captain and two passengers, including Martin.
During the trial, which began on July 3, crucial testimony revealed that at the time of the fatal collision, Blue Bayou, the vessel Morrell was on, was on the starboard side. It collided with Yeya, the vessel carrying Martin. Maritime expert Richard DiNapoli, a consultant and former shipmaster from New Jersey, testified that the Yeya violated several rules under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. DiNapoli’s reconstruction of the accident indicated that Yeya failed to comply with the give-way rule, which mandates that one vessel must yield to another to prevent a collision. He argued that Yeya’s failure to adhere to this fundamental rule was the primary cause of the accident.
Captain Graham Stanton, who was aboard Blue Bayou with his wife and children during the crash, remains the only person charged in connection with Martin’s death. He faces one charge of failing to render assistance following the collision.