Jury Finds Man Not Guilty of Murder on Party Boat
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SAN FRANCISCO — An Irishman accused of killing a passenger on a party boat by throwing him into the San Francisco Bay was found not guilty of murder Thursday, but a jury deadlocked on one charge each of voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.
William Monaghan was accused of throwing a Swiss computer animator, Lionel Voillat, over the side of a boat in October after an argument over Voillat’s girlfriend.
Monaghan’s attorney argued that the act had been in self-defense.
“He was attacked. He was attacked twice, and he never threw a punch,” Kenneth Quigley said after the verdict was announced. “He tried to get the man a dunking in the water because the man hit him in the nose, bloodied his nose and went for a cheap knee shot to the groin.”
The San Francisco Superior Court judge asked jurors to try to make progress toward a decision on the two manslaughter charges, and ordered them back into deliberations Thursday afternoon.
Monaghan’s family flew in from Ireland for the verdict. They did not speak to reporters and left the courtroom shortly after the verdicts were read.
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