Murder Charges Filed Against 2 in Joe Cool - Missing Crew Case

MIAMI (AP) -- Federal prosecutors charged two men Wednesday with murdering the captain and three crew members of a charter fishing boat they are accused of trying to hijack after hiring it for a quick trip to the Bahamas. Suspects Kirby Logan Archer, 35, and Guillermo Zarabozo, 19, were rescued from the ocean and are in custody. They could get the death penalty or life in prison if convicted. The charges were built largely on forensic evidence and inconsistencies in statements made by the suspects to investigators about what happened aboard the 47-foot "Joe Cool" fishing boat, said U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta. Prosecutors have no bodies, no murder weapon, no witnesses and no confession, but Acosta said there is still enough evidence to back up the charges. "We shouldn't shy away from a case simply because it isn't an easy one," Acosta said at a news conference. "These four individuals were doing what they loved. They were out on the seas, on a boat, and they were murdered in cold blood." Attorneys for Archer and Zarabozo did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment. A hearing is scheduled Thursday in federal court for both men.