A surfer was found guilty on April 18 of felony assault in which another surfer was struck with a paddleboard and suffered brain injuries off Sunset Cliffs.
Jury deliberations began Monday in the trial of Paul Taylor Konen, 34, involving the injury to Kevin Eslinger, 56, of Point Loma, in June, 2018.
Deputy District Attorney Matthew Greco described Konen as “the bully on the beach,” and said Thursday “I think justice was done today.
“It’s a good day for the beach community of San Diego,” said Greco. “The community will not tolerate assaultive behavior in the water.”
San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert Trentacosta allowed Konen to remain free on $30,000 bond and set sentencing for May 16.
Greco said Konen could face up to seven years in state prison after being convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. Konen could also be granted probation with a lesser sentence.
His attorney, Brian McCarthy, declined comment afterwards. Jurors were off Wednesday, but deliberated about 11 hours over three days until they reached their verdict Thursday afternoon.
Greco said Konen used a 7-foot stand up paddle board on his 10-foot surfboard and struck Eslinger in the head, causing a skull fracture. He said there were human hairs found on the cracked paddle board, but a DNA match could not be obtained because there were no hair roots.
The felony case was filed against Konen in July, 2018, and he denied the charges.