Shawn Tyson, 17, was read out two life terms yesterday by a US court of jury for shooting two Brits dead last April, in Sarasota County, Florida.

The jury delivered the verdict after much deliberation about the age of the convict, who, according to witnesses, showed little emotion whilst the sentences were being read. The first degree killings of James Cooper, 25 and James Kouzaris, 24 on April 16 last year created a huge furor in the UK press.

Taking into account the heinous nature of the crime, the 12-member jury kept no provision of parole release for Tyson. It took a couple of hours for them to declare the school dropout guilty of murdering the two British vacationers who begged for their lives before being shot by the teen assailant.

The defence prosecutor presented only one witness but could not mitigate the punishment of his client who reportedly boasted of the shootings and even asked his accomplices to hide the gun and the bullets. The defence attorney’s argument that the murder went unnoticed by anybody did not stand ground because the plaintiff’s witnesses testified to seeing Tyson climbing the window of his place after the shootings.

Both Kouzaris and Cooper were known amongst their friends as easygoing and fun-loving, yet cautious young men who loved to travel round the globe. According to authorities, the two men had boozed on the day and strayed off their intended course to end up near the housing estate where Tyson resided.

“Ours is a life sentence, with no chance of parole from a broken heart, and a shattered soul”, the victims’ families said, regretting that their kids were shown no mercy by an ‘evil’ Tyson.

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