John Goodman denied new DUI manslaughter trial; polo mogul convicted in 2010 fatal crash

Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read
2

WEST PALM BEACH — A multimillionaire twice convicted of DUI manslaughter for the death of a University of Central Florida graduate has lost the latest of several attempts to throw out his 16-year prison sentence.

In his most recent bid to clear his name, Wellington polo club founder John Goodman accused his former defense attorneys of failing to present evidence he believes could have vindicated him. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen denied his motion for post-conviction relief Thursday, according to an order provided by the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.

Jurors convicted Goodman of DUI manslaughter in 2012 and again in 2014 after reports of juror misconduct caused the first conviction to be overturned. Goodman's newest attorneys,Michael Ufferman and Don Pumphrey Jr., filed a motion for post-conviction relief in 2020, pointing to new evidence they say supports Goodman's version of events in the crash that killed 23-year-old Scott Wilson.

John Goodman argued better defense would have led to acquittal

Goodman ran a stop sign and crashed his Bentley into Wilson's Hyundai in Wellington at about 1 a.m. on Feb. 12, 2010. Experts at both of Goodman’s trials testified that Wilson could have survived the crash, but the collision pushed his overturned car into a nearby canal, where he drowned.

Prosecutors say Goodman, heir to a Texas heating and air-conditioning fortune, fled from the scene and did not call authorities for help. Blood tests several hours after the crash placed Goodman’s alcohol content at 0.177, more than twice the legal limit.

Ufferman and Pumphrey said jurors would have acquitted Goodman had his legal team — Scott Richardson, Douglas Duncan, Tama Kudman and Elizabeth Parker — called a toxicologist and a crash-reconstruction expert to testify and refute the state's witnesses.

John Goodman testifies during a hearing at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach on, Fla., on August 30, 2023. Goodman was convicted in 2014 of DUI manslaughter and second-degree vehicular homicide in the February 2010 death of Scott Wilson. He is seeking a new trial.
John Goodman testifies during a hearing at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach on, Fla., on August 30, 2023. Goodman was convicted in 2014 of DUI manslaughter and second-degree vehicular homicide in the February 2010 death of Scott Wilson. He is seeking a new trial.

Federal court: FBI's most wanted child-porn offender 'in the entire world' convicted in South Florida

Goodman also blamed his ex-attorneys for not posing more questions to Kris Kampsen, owner of the “man cave” that Goodman said he wandered to after leaving the crash site. Goodman says he was sober at the time of the collision and became drunk at the private bar where he nursed his injuries afterward.

Though prosecutors have long said the story is made up, Goodman's new attorneys say Kampsen found a pool of vomit on the premises the day after the crash — potentially corroborating Goodman's version of events. To have his conviction thrown out a second time, Goodman needed to convince the judge that his former lawyers' behavior amounted to ineffective counsel.

Judge, like jurors, unmoved by John Goodman's story

Judge Jeffrey Dana Gillen listens to oral arguments during a hearing at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach on, Fla., on August 30, 2023. John Goodman was convicted in 2014 of DUI manslaughter and second-degree vehicular homicide in the February 2010 death of Scott Wilson. Goodman is seeking a new trial.
Judge Jeffrey Dana Gillen listens to oral arguments during a hearing at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach on, Fla., on August 30, 2023. John Goodman was convicted in 2014 of DUI manslaughter and second-degree vehicular homicide in the February 2010 death of Scott Wilson. Goodman is seeking a new trial.

In August, Gillen oversaw a two-part evidentiary hearing which focused largely on the legal team's decision not to hire a toxicology expert. Parker, Richardson and Duncan testified that the omission was a strategic one.

Assistant State Attorney Leigh Miller warned the judge in August not to be distracted by the new attorneys criticizing the old ones.

"The reason why he lost this trial was not because of a failure to call a toxicologist," she said. "He lost this trial because nobody believed his story."

Gillen agreed. He wrote that Goodman’s legal team “thoroughly prepared for trial,” adding that calling a toxicologist to testify may have been harmful to Goodman’s defense. The judge also wrote that even if Goodman proved that his lawyers were deficient, he hadn’t established with any certainty that the outcome of the trial would have been different.

Goodman has 30 days to appeal Gillen's decision.

Want more Wellington news?

Sign up for our Post on Wellington weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday!

Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Polo mogul John Goodman denied bid for new DUI manslaughter trial