Man convicted in 4 boaters’ deaths
A federal jury in Miami convicted Guillermo Zarabozo, 20, in the hijacking and shooting deaths of four people last year aboard the Joe Cool charter boat. A mistrial was declared on 12 other charges that included kidnapping and first-degree murder.
Jurors found Zarabozo guilty of four counts of causing death through the use of a firearm. He could get life in prison. U.S. District Judge Paul Huck declared a mistrial on the other charges after jurors said they were deadlocked.
Prosecutors said Zarabozo and Kirby Archer, 36, booked the boat for a phony trip to the Bahamas, intending to hijack the vessel to Cuba.
The boat’s captain, his wife and two crew members were shot to death and dumped overboard.
Archer has pleaded guilty.
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