Sunday, April 1, 2012

Florida teen begins life sentence behind bars

The Florida teen who was convicted for killing two British tourists started his life-sentence behind bars on Thursday.

Shawn Tyson, now 17 but 16 when he committed the crimes, was tried as an adult when he murdered James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, last April after they got lost and wandered into a housing project where Tyson lived, the Associated Press reported.

After the eight-day trial, a jury convicted Tyson on Wednesday of two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting.

?Mr. Tyson was found guilty by a jury that deliberated less than two hours,? a court spokeswoman told Association of Fundraising Professionals.

?Because he is under 18, Mr Tyson is ineligible for the death penalty,? she said.

The two travelers had traveled to Florida to stay with Cooper?s family on a Gulf Coast beach in Sarasota. On April 15, they dined and drank downtown, where they got drunk and got lost, accidentally wandering into Tyson?s neighborhood.

Witnesses said that Tyson intended to rob the two men, but when they told him they had no money and were lost, he shot them to death.

?Since you ain?t got no money, then I have something for your ass,? he told a witness.

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