Captain of Sicily Yacht Under Investigation for ‘Negligent Shipwreck and Homicide’: Reports
New Zealander James Cutfield, 50, is reportedly under investigation after seven people died in the sinking on Aug. 19
The captain of the sunken Sicily yacht is under investigation after seven people died in the tragedy, per local reports.
The Bayesian — a 183-foot-long superyacht — is said to have sunk quickly on Monday, Aug. 19 around 5 a.m. local time off the coast of Porticello after what the Italian coast guard called a “violent storm.”
Authorities have said that 22 people were aboard, including 12 passengers and 10 crew. Fifteen people were rescued and authorities have since identified the seven people who died.
Per Italian news agency Ansa, the boat’s commander, James Cutfield, 50, of New Zealand, is now officially under investigation for “negligent shipwreck and multiple counts of negligent homicide.”
The agency stated the captain had been questioned by prosecutors from the Termini Imerese Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday, Aug. 25 for the second time in a week, with topics focusing on the position of the keel, whether the hatch was open, and when an alarm was raised amid the worsening weather conditions.
Divers recover a body following the sinking.
ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty
Ansa added that during the two-hour session on Sunday when the captain was reheard, authorities reconstructed the approximately 32 minutes that passed from when the sailboat began taking on water to the firing of the first distress flare at 4:38 a.m.
The prosecutor had already outlined this timeline of events during the press conference Saturday, Ansa continued.
An Italian criminal lawyer told PEOPLE that being placed under investigation “does not imply guilt (innocent until proven guilty) and does not automatically mean charges will be brought against the person.”
“It does mean that the people under investigation are able to appoint their own medical expert to the autopsies that are taking place their week, a very useful defense measure if they are later formally charged at a later date,” they added.
Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano and the chief of the public prosecutor’s office of Termini Imerese, Ambrogio Cartosio, give a press conference on Aug. 24, 2024 in Termini Imerese, Sicily.
ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty
Local newspaper Giornale di Sicilia reported that the commander had been invited to appoint a defense lawyer ahead of the autopsies, which are expected to begin on Monday, Aug. 26 and continue through Thursday, Aug. 29, per the outlet.
The update comes after Sicilian authorities held a press conference on Saturday, Aug. 24 to identify the victims.
Cartosio confirmed that British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch’s body had been found on Aug. 22, before the body of his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch was recovered the following day on Aug. 23.
He also said that on Aug. 22, authorities recovered the bodies of prominent New York City attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda, and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.
Lynch, 59, was acquitted of fraud and conspiracy charges just two months before the sinking, and a source close to the survivors told PEOPLE passengers on the yacht were celebrating Lynch’s recent acquittal when the storm hit.
Morvillo, also 59, worked on the case, and Bloomer, 70, was a close friend to Lynch. Chef Recaldo Thomas’ body was also recovered in the days after the sinking.
