Polo tycoon guilty of DUI manslaughter

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 23 (UPI) -- A jury in West Palm Beach, Fla., Friday convicted polo mogul John Goodman, 48, of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the 2010 death of Scott Wilson, 23.

The six-man, one-woman jury deliberated for 5 1/2 hours before reaching its verdict, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Goodman was taken into custody at the request of prosecutor Ellen Roberts, the newspaper said.

The jury had asked to review the 911 call Goodman, founder of the Polo Club International Palm Beach, made nearly an hour after the crash in which he asked if anyone had been hurt in the wreck.

Goodman had testified to drinking two shots of tequila and two shots of vodka the night of the crash that killed Wilson. He said he had left the polo club to get some food and the last thing he remembered before he struck Wilson's vehicle is that the brakes on his Bentley didn't seem to be working properly.

Defense attorneys argued a malfunction in Goodman's car contributed to the crash.

Goodman struck Wilson's vehicle after running a red light in February 2010 in Wellington. He was charged with drunken driving and leaving the scene of the accident while Wilson drowned in a canal.

Two hours after the crash, Goodman's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, police said.

Goodman said he didn't know where he was and didn't realize Wilson's car had gone into the water. He said he went to a friend's barn after the accident and drank a bottle of liquor to alleviate pain from his injuries.

Circuit Judge Jeffrey Colbath scheduled a 2-hour sentencing hearing for April 30. Goodman faces up to 30 years in prison.