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Polo mogul John Goodman found guilty of DUI manslaughter in second trial

Jury convicts Goodman of DUI manslaughter for the death of Scott Wilson

By Scott Smith

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A jury on Tuesday found millionaire polo magnate John Goodman, 51, guilty of DUI manslaughter in the death of 23-year-old Scott Wilson.

The verdict was the second guilty finding by a jury. The first was tossed out due to juror misconduct.

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Jurors reached their verdict after just four hours of deliberations, according to the Palm Beach Post. The trial lasted three weeks and featured a sequestered jury chosen in Tampa, a three-hour drive away from the court.

"What a long, strange trip it's been," Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Colbath said, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Prosecutors say Goodman was drunk when he drove his Bentley at high speed through a rural intersection and smashed into Wilson's Hyundai, sending it upside down into a canal where medical examiners determined Wilson drowned.

According to evidence presented in court, Goodman had been drinking at three local bars before the crash. But his attorneys presented witnesses who said he didn't appear drunk, even though he had a hefty bar tab.

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Prosecutors say Goodman left the scene after the Feb. 12, 2010, crash, walking to a "man cave" horse barn on his own property nearby. Goodman said that's where he chugged alcohol to soothe his pain, that's why his blood showed an alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit to drive hours after the crash. He didn't call 9-1-1 until an hour after the crash. His attorneys say he was suffering a concussion and was disoriented.

Goodman, founder of the International Polo Club, faces up to 16 years in prison. He was taken to jail immediately after the verdict was read. His attorneys immediately filed a motion to have him released on bond until they can appeal the verdict. He's been on special house arrest, paying for deputies to monitor his activities on his Wellington horse ranch.

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