It took a jury just four hours to find Patrick Evans guilty on two counts of 1st degree murder Wednesday evening.

  • Evans originally convicted 6 years ago
  • Conviction, death sentence overturned by Florida Supreme Court
  • Penalty phase begins Oct. 19

Six years ago, Evans was found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of his estranged wife, Elizabeth Evans, and a man she was dating, Gerald Taylor. They were found dead inside her Gulfport condo in December, 2008.

But Evans, a former Jabil executive, got a new trial after the Florida Supreme Court overturned his conviction and death sentence in 2015.

During closing arguments, prosecutors said there was enough evidence to convict him.

"Patrick Evans shot and killed Gerald Taylor and Elizabeth Evans because he wanted to kill them," Assistant State Attorney Christopher Labruzzo told the jury.

One of the main pieces of evidence is a 911 call that recorded Elizabeth Evans and Taylor pleading for their lives before being shot.

Another voice can be heard on the recording that prosecutors claim belongs to Patrick Evans.

Other evidence includes shell casings found at the scene that match Evans's gun and a neighbor who testified he saw him near the scene at the time of he murders.

But Evans attorney said investigators didn't look hard enough for other suspects.

She said several fingerprints found at the scene were never identified, and she noted there was no way to know for sure whose voice is on the 911 call.

"These kind of decisions should be based on science and evidence, not on emotion. The state is trying to prey on your emotion," said Assistant Public Defender Allison Miller.

Prosecutors will now pursue the death penalty for Evans during the trial's penalty phase, which begins tomorrow.

Unlike his first trial, this time it will take a unanimous jury to sentence him to death.