WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ohio -- For the second time, a jury has found a Steubenville man guilty of murdering two Franciscan University students.

The jury in Washington County, Pa., found Terrell Yarbrough guilty of one count of first-degree murder in the death of Aaron Land, one count of first-degree murder in the death of Brian Muha, and of conspiracy.

This is Yarbrough's second trial. In 2004, an Ohio court convicted Yarbrough of killing 18-year-old Muha and 20-year-old Land, but the Ohio Supreme Court overturned the conviction after deciding Ohio had no jurisdiction since the killings occurred in Pennsylvania.

According to police, Yarbrough kidnapped the students from their off-campus apartment in Steubenville on May 31, 1999. Police said Yarbrough and an accomplice drove the roommates to a remote section of Route 22 in Washington County, Pa., led them up a hill, and shot each one once in the head execution style. A motive in the case was never made clear.

The victims' families said they were relieved by the verdict.

"To me, this was such an open-and-shut thing. I thought that the deliberation would have come in more quickly, so I must admit I got a little concerned," said Kathleen O'Hara, Aaron Land's mother. "The defense tried to present a fairy tale and clearly the jury didn't buy it."

Yarbrough's family did not comment about the verdict or the penalties that come with it.

The penalty phase of the case starts Wednesday, when the jury will decide if Yarbrough will get the death penalty or spend life in prison.

O'Hara said, "I think he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, but I will leave that up to the jury and what they decide. … Is a dead body the answer to balancing the scales of justice? Is there any real justice?"

Brian Muha's mother, Rachel, said she forgives her son's killer and opposes the death penalty.

"We don't have hatred towards (Yarbrough) or anger toward him, but the deep sadness at that thought that somebody could do that somebody else is what we live with," Muha said.

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Muha said while Yarbrough is in jail, he is "hopefully thinking about what he did, asking for forgiveness and then making up for what he did by being as good as he can in prison.”

Chris Muha, Brian's brother, said, "Maybe being on death row is what (Yarbrough) needs. If that's what's finally going to make him realized that he needs to look inside himself and change who he is. It's sad that it might come to that. We don't want him to be executed for Brian's sake."

The district attorney who prosecuted the case, Steven Toprani, said the jury will hear evidence during the penalty phase.

"We look forward to moving forward with the same zeal that we did in prosecuting the case and putting on the evidence of aggravated circumstances," Toprani said.

The Ohio Supreme Court also previously overturned Nathan "Boo" Herring's conviction, who police said was Yarbrough's accomplice. Herring will also stand trial in Pennsylvania and remains in jail for kidnapping and weapons crimes.

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