NC man becomes first person convicted for felony death by impaired boating

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Brunswick County man has become the first person in North Carolina history to be convicted for death by impaired boating.

The conviction comes in connection with a March 2020 boating accident that led to the deaths of three people.

Matthew Fester pled guilty to death by impaired boating in August and faces 9-18 years in prison.

Before July of 2016, impaired boating was only a misdemeanor in North Carolina.

After teenager Sheyenne Marshall was killed by an impaired boater in 2015 her family successfully lobbied lawmakers to elevate the charge to a felony.