{"id":92371,"date":"2025-12-12T21:35:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T21:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/92371\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T21:35:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T21:35:34","slug":"man-accused-of-dui-manslaughter-in-deadly-boat-crash-can-be-held-for-trial-judge-rules-long-beach-post-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/92371\/","title":{"rendered":"Man accused of DUI, manslaughter in deadly boat crash can be held for trial, judge rules \u2022 Long Beach Post News"},"content":{"rendered":"

A judge ruled today that there was enough evidence for a well-off real estate investor to stand trial on charges he drunkenly slammed his boat into a jetty during a Fourth of July celebration, killing a local baseball coach and injuring several passengers on board.<\/p>\n

Long Beach Superior Court Judge Debra A. Cole ruled that Kevin King, 58, would be held to answer for charges of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and operating a watercraft while under the influence. If convicted, King could face up to 13 years in state prison, according to prosecutors.<\/p>\n

Authorities allege King was drunk at the helm of his 48-foot sportfishing boat when he crashed into the Alamitos Bay Jetty at more than 20 mph around 9 p.m. on July 3, 2024. The impact, they say, killed local baseball coach John Correa and injured seven others who\u2019d been on a sunset \u201chappy hour\u201d cruise, according to witness testimony.<\/p>\n

The hearing was a major turning point in the case, where more than a dozen people \u2014 many of whom were King\u2019s guests that night \u2014 were now called to testify against him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case has gotten really nasty in this community, considering they were all friends at one time,\u201d Cole said. \u201cIt\u2019s a shame.\u201d<\/p>\n

In court, King\u2019s defense team argued that he was not intoxicated and also not driving when the boat crashed. In public, true-crime style videos posted on YouTube<\/a> have made similar arguments \u2014 seeking to cast blame elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The YouTube videos\u00a0 \u2013 comprised of body-worn camera footage, investigative reports and bystander video, which a disclaimer says were collected from public records requests and legal discovery \u2013 accuse authorities of a \u201cframe-up.\u201d They argue that first responders changed their story about who was piloting the boat.<\/p>\n

It highlights footage of the first rescuer on scene, Marine Safety Officer Devon Beebe, saying she found Correa\u2019s body in front of the steering wheel. In court this week, Beebe said this was a mistake \u2014 one she later corrected in her report \u2014 because she erroneously thought the steering wheel was on the right side of the boat, as it is in the rescue craft she usually drives.<\/p>\n

After Cole\u2019s ruling Wednesday, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Tracy Sims said the set of videos was \u201cpurely propaganda\u201d produced by a disbarred attorney.<\/p>\n

A legal disclaimer on them bears the name Matthew Fletcher, a former Long Beach-based attorney who lost his license to practice in 2023, after he pleaded guilty to helping rap mogul Marion \u201cSuge\u201d Knight obstruct justice<\/a> in a murder case pending against him.<\/p>\n

\"\"Kevin King\u2019s 48-foot boat sinking after smashing into the Alamitos Bay Jetty on July 3, 2024. Photo courtesy the LBFD.<\/p>\n

Sims alleged the videos were made in an attempt to \u201csway potential jurors by misrepresenting the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

King\u2019s defense lawyer, Michael Balmer, said he did not know who produced the YouTube series or how they accessed body-camera footage and other video that would be handed over to attorneys in discovery but not typically released to the public.<\/p>\n

In court, Balmer repeatedly pressed witnesses about whether they were sure King was drinking alcohol or if he was driving during the crash.<\/p>\n

One witness, Rebecca Lury said she had brought two bottles of tequila for a \u201cmargarita making contest.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her testimony on Wednesday, Lury recalled making King a rum and Coke before the boat took off. On Tuesday, Sarah Cameron \u2013 another passenger \u2013 also said she made King a rum and Coke during the trip. A police officer also testified that King admitted to drinking two glasses of wine.<\/p>\n

\"\"John Correa. Photo courtesy GoFundMe.<\/p>\n

Months after the crash, investigators obtained a search warrant for King\u2019s medical records from the hospital where he was treated after the wreck. They showed he had a blood-alcohol content of .152%, said Long Beach Fire Department Capt. Aaron Fletcher.<\/p>\n

Balmer fought to have those results thrown out, saying they didn\u2019t factor in the severe amount of blood King lost that night, potentially raising the alcohol concentration.<\/p>\n

He also repeatedly accused the boat passengers of changing their stories and implied they had ulterior motives because of a pending civil lawsuit that could hold King liable for some of their injuries.<\/p>\n

Cole denied Balmer\u2019s motion to suppress the blood evidence before ruling that the case had enough evidence to go to trial.<\/p>\n

King remains out of custody on bail. He\u2019s due back in court for arraignment on Jan. 7, 2026. No trial date has been set.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A judge ruled today that there was enough evidence for a well-off real estate investor to stand trial…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92372,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-92371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}