Shawn Tyson found guilty of murder

A US court has found Florida teenager Shawn Tyson guilty of murdering two men from the Midlands.

Tyson was charged with two counts of first degree murder after allegedly trying to rob, then shoot dead, James Kouzaris, 24, and James Cooper, 25, in Sarasota.

The teenager, who was 16 at the time of the murders, was sentenced to two life terms of imprisonment.

The judge told him he would never be eligible for parole.

The court heard the pair drunkenly walked into a run down area of Sarasota where they were found dead.

The prosecution claimed Tyson, who was 16 at the time of the killings, shot the friends after he attempted to rob them.

Prosecutor Ed Brodsky told the jury that the case was about "seized opportunities".

He said evidence would "conclusively prove" to the jury that Tyson was responsible for the murders.

He said Tyson had exercised his constitutional right to a trial, but told the jury: