Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dankert was killed in Boston Harbor when Lawrence Shieh allegedly crashed a boat head-on into a pier near Logan International Airport while driving with both hands off the wheel, prosecutors said.
Background
The May 13 crash occurred on Boston Harbor near Logan International Airport, where boats are prohibited. Shieh, 40, had met Dankert and her two friends at a bar that night, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden. After his own friends left, Shieh struck up a conversation with the three women and offered to take them to his boat club.
The club permits members to take boats out onto the harbor but prohibits nighttime excursions. Shieh allegedly took a vessel he did not own out onto the water with all three women aboard. The boat lacked exterior lighting to illuminate the water ahead.
"In the time leading up to the crash, cellphone videos recorded Shieh's conduct, including inattentiveness at the helm, dancing, and engaging with the three young women," Hayden said. "Approximately six seconds before the crash, Shieh is captured on video with both hands off the wheel of the boat."
The Charges
Shieh is facing one count of involuntary manslaughter, one count of operating a boat while intoxicated causing death, and two counts of operating a boat while intoxicated and causing serious injury, according to the Suffolk District Attorney's Office.
Surveillance video captured the boat traveling roughly 36 mph when it crashed head-on into a Logan Airport runway approach pier. The speed is considered excessive under the circumstances, prosecutors said. Upon impact, all occupants were thrown backward. Dankert suffered a fatal injury to the back of her head. Shieh and the two other women sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Shieh's blood alcohol level was 0.20, more than twice the legal limit for operating a vessel.
"He unlawfully took a boat out into Boston Harbor in the dead of night, he drove that boat at a reckless speed in a restricted area of the Boston Harbor," Hayden said. "He did this with three young women aboard, placing their lives in imminent danger."
Shieh pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held on $25,000 bond.
Key Takeaways
- Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Dankert was a 24-year-old English major at Union College who also played collegiate soccer
- Shieh allegedly had both hands off the wheel approximately six seconds before the crash, according to cellphone video
- The defendant's blood alcohol level was 0.20, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 for boaters in Massachusetts
- The boat was traveling at roughly 36 mph when it struck a Logan Airport runway approach pier
- Shieh is charged with involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of operating while intoxicated causing death and serious injury
What's Next
Shieh's next court date is scheduled for October 8. His family has not publicly commented on the charges. The victim's family's lawyer released a statement expressing gratitude that accountability measures are now in motion.
"There is some measure of relief in finally learning what happened that fateful night and seeing that the wheels of justice are in motion," the statement read. "They intend to focus their attention primarily on the seemingly insurmountable tasks of learning to go on without their beloved daughter and sister, Lizzie, and trying to honor the way she lived (with positivity and joy) rather than the way she died."