American youth guilty of murdering British pair
American teenager Shawn Tyson is jailed for life for the murder of two young British tourists in Florida. James Cooper and James Kouzaris were shot dead in April 2011.
Shawn Tyson, who turned 17 last week, will not be eligible for parole after being convicted of two counts of first degree murder at Sarasota County Courthouse.
Joe Hallett, a friend of Mr Kouzaris and Mr Cooper, read a statement to the court.
Addressing Tyson personally, he said: “It was through your deadly action that you have taken us all on a journey to hell during the last 12 months.”
He said the men were “decent human beings”. “They would judge a person by what is on the inside.”
Mr Hallett said they were “two people who, if you had given them a chance, would have given you the time of day”.
You pierced their hearts with bullets and you robbed my friends of their dignity, their freedom and their future. Joe Hallett
“They were two of the good guys in life.
“You pierced their hearts with bullets and you robbed my friends of their dignity, their freedom and their future.”
He said he needed Tyson to understand the pain he had caused and the “amazing personalities” he had killed.
Mr Hallett said: “You have failed in life – you have been failed by your family, your friends, the educational system, your local community.
“But those failings don’t excuse your actions.”
Watch the video: A special report into American children growing up behind bars.
DNA evidence
The verdict came after two hours of deliberations and the sentencing about an hour after the verdict. Because he is under 18, Tyson is ineligible for the death penalty and is facing a mandatory life sentence.
During the trial, witnesses testified that Tyson shot James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, on April 16, 2011.
The two men were visiting Sarasota and spent an evening drinking when they got lost and walked into a housing project where Tyson lived.
Witnesses testified that Tyson told them he saw two “crackers” (his phrase for white people) walking through the neighbourhood and that he intended to rob them.
The tourists said they didn’t have any money and begged Tyson to let them go home.
Several prosecution witnesses said Tyson told friends about the shootings in the hours after the killings, then asked friends to hide the murder weapon and bury bullets.
A DNA expert said Tyson’s skin cells were found on James Cooper’s jeans.
Tyson maintained to police that he was at home during the murders but witnesses spotted him crawling into his window shortly after hearing gunshots.