Woodland man guilty of DUI manslaughter

ALBANY, Ore. — A Woodland man has been found guilty of manslaughter and other crimes for killing two Sweet Home, Ore. teens in a head-on drunk driving crash.

A 12-member jury found 22-year-old Austyn Hillsman guilty of two counts of second-degree manslaughter, third-degree assault, driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving, the Albany Democrat-Herald reported.

The verdict was delivered on Friday, at the conclusion of Hillsman’s four-day trial in Linn County Circuit Court. Sentencing is scheduled for late July.

The crash on May 23, 2020 on Highway 228 near Brownsville killed siblings Caleb Simonis and Shelby Simonis. Their sibling Kylee Simonis was seriously injured.

Hillsman’s Ford F-250 was going east when it crossed into oncoming traffic, hitting a Honda Pilot with the siblings inside, according to the Oregon State Police.

According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, Hillsman’s blood alcohol level was 0.23.

Hillsman was facing first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault charges, but he was found guilty of lesser included offenses because the jury found that extreme indifference to the value of human life was not a factor in the crimes.