Sep. 12 2002 - WorldCatch Wave - It has all the elements of high drama: A stormy sea at night, a sinking boat, two men struggling to survive -- and perhaps even murder.

What happened aboard the 30-foot shrimp boat Bandit two summers ago is now playing out in a courtroom as a deck hand stands accused of bludgeoning the captain to death for the boat's only lifejacket.

Alvin Latham is charged with second-degree murder in the July 16, 2000, death of Raymond "Tinky" Leiker in Breton Sound southeast of New Orleans.

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