It took a jury about an hour and a half to find a 29-year-old man guilty of causing a fatal 2006 wreck on U.S. 1 Thursday.

Maykel Ramos De La Torre was taken into custody with no bond after he was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. He will be sentenced before circuit Judge Mark Jones on April 15.

Prosecutors told jurors that De La Torre was racing another man southbound on June 28, 2006, when he lost control of his Acura, causing a multiple-car collision near Mile Marker 8 on Boca Chica Key.

Andrea Jenneane Williams, 50, of Big Pine Key was killed in the crash.

Monroe County Assistant State Attorney Manny Madruga declined to comment on the verdict, citing his role as prosecutor in a co-defendant's case.

"There are no winners here," said defense attorney Hal Schuhmacher. "It's a tragedy all around. We still feel it was an accident, but my client feels horrible about what happened to Mrs. Williams and his heart goes out to her family. And it has since this happened."

Prior to the verdict, Schuhmacher had delivered boisterous closing arguments in which he chided Florida Highway Patrol troopers for giving false information to his client during a post-accident interview. Schuhmacher also criticized prosecutors for relying on three witnesses who he said had faulty memories.

"The troopers, the people tasked with constructing the accident, blew it," Schuhmacher told jurors. "All the evidence in the state's case comes down to three witnesses, that's it."

Schuhmacher also accused Madruga of attempting to elicit anger from jurors by showing them graphic photos of Williams' autopsy.

Williams, who had been a TIB Bank employee, died at the scene of the head-on crash that prosecutors say was caused by De La Torre and co-defendant Luciano Rocamora. Prosecutors allege Rocamora was racing De La Torre to Key West through heavy traffic on the highway.

Madruga told jurors that despite inconsistencies in some witness testimony -- some witnesses made statements that Schuhmacher claimed were counter to their statements four years' prior -- the evidence was clear that the wreck could have been avoided had the defendant not been driving dangerously.

"(Defense) counsel can't explain away what happened," Madruga said, alleging that Schuhmacher had presented "zero" evidence to support his defense.

De La Torre's trial, which began Monday, was his second on the manslaughter charge. Jones declared a hung jury in November after another jury failed to reach a verdict.

Rocamora's trial is pending. He also faces vehicular manslaughter charges and a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted.

Williams, an organ donor and frequent Relay For Life volunteer, was so badly injured that none of her organs could be salvaged, said her sister, Marla Rogers.

alinhardt@keysnews.com