Shawn Tyson, Florida teen, guilty of murdering British tourists James Cooper and James Kouzaris

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida jury has found a teenager guilty of first-degree murder in the slayings of two British tourists last April.

It took the jury two hours to reach a verdict Wednesday against 17-year-old Shawn Tyson. He faces a life sentence.

Tyson was convicted of shooting 25-year-old James Cooper and 24-year-old James Kouzaris. They were vacationing in Sarasota and spent an evening drinking when they got lost and walked into a housing project where Tyson lived.

Witnesses testified Tyson intended to rob the men but shot them instead. According to witnesses, Tyson recounted how the men pleaded for their lives.

Kouzaris was from Northampton and Cooper was from Hampton Lucy, Warwick. Their families didn't attend the trial, but two of their friends were present for the eight days of court hearings.