After a four-day trial and six and a half hours of deliberation, a 12-member jury unanimously found Courtney Lockhart, 26, guilty of capital murder in connection with the death of 18-year-old Lauren Burk March 4, 2008.
The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A sentencing hearing will be held Jan. 28, when Judge Jacob Walker III will accept or reject the jury's recommendation.
Lockhart kidnapped Burk from a parking lot near the Hill residence halls, forced her into her car and later shot her as she was attempting to jump from the vehicle.
Burk was found on Ala. Highway 147/North College Street.
Opening statements in the Lockhart trial began Nov. 12.
District Attorney Nick Abbett attempted to prove Lockhart's intent was to rob and kill Burk, while Lockhart's defense, led by Jeremy Armstrong and Joel Collins, argued his lack of a father figure and the stress stemming from his service in the U.S. Army in Iraq accounted for Lockhart's behavior.
During the course of the trial, the prosecution called a range of witnesses, including individuals who investigated the scene of the murder, forensic scientists, officers involved in Lockhart's arrest, as well as Burk's family members and friends.
Lockhart's taped confession was shown to the jury, and DNA evidence linked Lockhart to the gun used to kill Burk.
According to the Opelika-Auburn News, Lockhart's defense called two witnesses, Lockhart's former fiance and a psychiatrist Wednesday.
Defense witness and forensic psychologist Kimberley Ackerson said Lockhart did not suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder although he was troubled from the war.
Nicole Threatt, Lockhart's former fiance, said Lockhart was a different person when he returned from Iraq.
After Lockhart was found guilty of capital murder, the penalty phase of the trial began, allowing the prosecution and the defense to attempt to persuade the jury to recommend the death penalty or a life sentence without parole.
"We're glad that the trial is over, and justice has been done in the name of Lauren, and we just miss her, miss her very much," said Burk's mother, Viviane Guerchon, in a statement to the press.
As he walked into the courtroom for the penalty phase, Burk's father, Jim, gave a thumb up while mouthing, "We won," to a supporter in attendance.
"I have a feeling of relief," Jim said to the press. "Justice was served. The state could not have done any better."
During closing statements, the prosecution retraced the sequence of events that led to Burk's death while arguing for the jury to recommend a death sentence for Lockhart.
"Lauren didn't deserve to find out what it felt like to have a bullet behind her heart," said Chief Assistant District Attorney Robbie Treese.
The defense attempted to convince the jury to weigh the effects that the war and the death of his close friend and father figure, Sgt. Neil Prince, had on Lockhart before deciding which sentence to recommend.
"Death makes no sense in war, makes no sense in Lauren Burk, and it makes no sense here," Collins said.
The defense called Lockhart's mother, Catherine Williams, to the stand to testify to the changes she observed in Lockhart after he returned from Iraq.
"He wasn't the same Courtney as when he left," Williams said. "He stayed shut up in his room all the time. He would not come out."
Williams also commented that she was sorry for all the restless nights the Burk family endured.
"I feel your pain because I'm a momma too," Williams said. "From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry. If I could walk over there and hug you, I would."
The defense also called Lockhart's estranged father, Curtis James, 52, who saw his son for the first time in 20 years before he testified.
"I saw him. I asked him, 'How are you?'" said James, who added that Lockhart said in response, "Where were you?"
James, who said he did not know how to be a father to Lockhart because he had no father figure of his own, also addressed the Burk family from the stand.
"I would give my own life right now to change this whole situation," James said. "I wouldn't think twice about it, I wouldn't hesitate. If I could bring back Miss Burk, to change this situation, I would do it right now."
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