Man in Moss Landing boat death will not be charged, DA cites self-defense.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced it will not pursue charges against Joshua Holtzclaw in the death of Trenten Black, a 26-year-old fisherman from Aptos, in an incident that occurred at Moss Landing Harbor.

The incident occurred just before 9am on June 11, when officers with California State Parks and the Sheriff’s Office were notified of a boat collision. Witnesses reported seeing one boat operator climb onto the other’s vessel, leading to a fight and the drowning of Black. Holtzclaw was arrested for voluntary manslaughter. At the time, the Sheriff’s Office had not received information indicating the case involved self-defense.

After several months of investigation, the District Attorney’s Office concluded that there was insufficient evidence to charge Holtzclaw with a crime, saying that he acted in self-defense.

“The community was pretty devastated, it was just shocking,” says Tim Obert, a fisherman out of Santa Cruz who was a close family friend, mentor and employer to Black. “He didn’t have an enemy to be honest, he’s the last person you would think to have issues.”

At 8:30am the morning of the incident, Black, who had travelled that morning in his fishing boat from Santa Cruz, motored to the area where Holtzclaw was fishing. Other fishermen in boats just south of Holtzclaw’s position witnessed what occurred next, according to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office. One of the fishermen had previously agreed to provide Black some bait that day and assumed Black was approaching for it. 

Instead, Black approached Holtzclaw’s boat and made a U-turn around it at a radius of about 20 feet, then headed north toward the harbor. The witnesses said that because of these actions, it appeared that Black and Holtzclaw exchanged words during the U-turn, however, what was said could not be heard, according to the release.

In his fishing boat, Holtzclaw then followed Black.

A camera pointing north toward the channel which connects the bay to the harbor captured the confrontation from 200 yards away. Footage showed that after Black entered the channel he slowed down, with Holtzclaw following rapidly from behind and slowing somewhat before the collision, appearing to intentionally ram the rear of Black’s boat. 

Later inspection revealed damage on the boats confirming the collision, according to the DA's office. As the boats continued to move into the harbor, Black abandoned his boat and boarded Holtzclaw’s, where a fight ensued.

Two witnesses on opposite sides of the channel, which is approximately 150 yards wide, described Black as dominating the fight. One witness allegedly could see Black the whole time, “beating the hell out of the other guy,” according to the press release. 

Black appeared to have Holtzclaw in a headlock. Both men tumbled into the water during the struggle; Holtzclaw got back into his boat and swung at Black with an oar or pole.

A larger commercial boat arrived on scene with a crew that saw Holtzclaw was using a paddle to maneuver his boat away from Black, as well as noticing Black in the water and heard him calling for help. Holtzclaw reportedly said to the crew, “He tried to kill me,” when they asked what happened. By the time the crew maneuvered the boat so they could throw a life ring toward Black, he “went under” and was no longer visible. Holtzclaw started his boat’s motor and moved off.

A pathologist performed an autopsy on Black and determined his death was caused by asphyxia due to drowning.

Black’s oldest sister launched a GoFundMe following the incident, raising $60,000 to support the family. Obert shares there was an outpouring from the local community, many of whom grew up with Black in Santa Cruz and who had been in the fishing industry for about nine years. Black was a football player in high school, and his coach spoke at his funeral to over 400 people, says Obert.

The Santa Cruz fishing community is a tight-knit community. “We're all brothers. We barbecue together. Our family gatherings are together. It's a community,” he says. “A lot of these young guys that were friends with him are just looking for a little bit of justice for their friend. To get nothing, that's what drives me insane.”

“He just had a heart of gold and he walked day to day like we should all walk. You’d be proud to have him as his son. I just wish the district attorney and county could look at that.”