SAN DIEGO — A jury has convicted a man of murder for killing a professional surfer from Kauai with a blow during a scuffle in California.

Seth Cravens was convicted today and could face life in prison when he is sentenced in January.

The 22-year-old Cravens said he acted in self-defense when he punched Emery Kauanui in May 2007. The surfer hit his head when he fell down and was fatally injured outside his mother's home in the wealthy seaside community of La Jolla.

Prosecutors say the scuffle stemmed from a dispute that started earlier at a bar.

Four other people initially were charged with murder but pleaded guilty to lesser charges and were sentenced in September to 90 to 249 days in jail.