An Oahu jury found former Waianae High School quarterback Puletua Wilson guilty as charged of manslaughter, a Class A felony, in the drunken driving crash near Keaau Beach Park that left his backseat passenger dead.

Wilson, who was 24 at the time of the Oct. 5, 2017 fiery crash that killed his friend Troy Kahooilihala, 21, walked out of the courtroom this afternoon, still free on a $100,000 bond.

Deputy sheriffs waited for Wilson and his family to leave the courthouse before they escorted to the parking garage the 10 women and two men who rendered the verdict this afternoon.

Wilson was charged with manslaughter in the death of the 21-year-old, but jurors were given the option of the lesser charges of negligent homicide in varying degrees.

The now 29-year-old Wilson faces imprisonment of up to 20 years when he is sentenced Nov. 15.

“The Department is very pleased with the verdict and hopes that it brings some measure of closure to Troy Kahooilihala’s family,” Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said. “Drinking and driving is a deadly combination and Wilson’s reckless behavior resulted in the death of a young man with a bright future ahead of him. Due to the severity of the offense and the need to deter future conduct, we will be asking the Court to sentence Wilson to the maximum prison term.”

Deputy Prosecutor Anna Ishikawa said Wilson was traveling at 100 mph when he crashed into a parked truck along Farrington Highway, didn’t slow down, and the Toyota Avalon sedan he was driving went airborne and flipped over multiple times before landing in the sand 200 feet away from the truck.

Kahooilihala died after he was ejected and landed another 60 feet away, “cracking his head on boulders.”

Wilson had been drinking with friends at the Waianae Boat Harbor hours before the crash and continued to drink at a different location before he got behind the wheel of his friend’s car.

The defense made several arguments, including that he was not the driver of the vehicle, and that prosecutors failed to prove manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt, citing some conflicting evidence in the testimony of witnesses.