Sarasota murder: Shawn Tyson found guilty of murdering British tourists

Tyson, who turned 17 on the first day of his trial, and now faces life in
prison without parole, was caught after boasting to friends about the
murders.

When the men had told him they had no cash on them, he told them: “If you
ain’t got no money — I got something for you ass,” before firing.

Mr Kouzaris was killed first, and Tyson later told a female friend that Mr
Cooper was “crying for his life” before he too was shot.

The teenager stared straight ahead of him as moving tributes two the bright,
successful, happy friends were played on videos provided by the Cooper and
Kouzaris families.

On a video impact statement, Mr Kouzaris’s father James said it was ironic
that his son had travelled the world and visited many dangerous countries
but had been “murdered in cold blood” in the holiday destination
of Florida.

“James was the perfect, son and brother. These last few months had been
unbearable,” he added.

His wife Hazel said: “I can’t feel sorry for the murderer but I do have
some sympathy for his mother. Like me she will not have any grandchildren
from her son.”

In a statement, Mr Cooper’s parents said: “Anyone who has lost a child will
know there are no words which can express the despair, disbelief and
desolation. We will miss him every minute of every day in a home that now
feels empty.”

Tyson, who is in fact already a father, slumped down in his seat as a video
featuring images of Mr Cooper growing up was then played to the court.

Two close friends of the victims, who had attended court throughout the trial,
were also permitted to address the court.

One, Joe Hallett choked back tears as he addressed Tyson, saying: “I want
to look you in the eye and speak to you directly and to try and make you
understand the pain and suffering you have brought to so many people.

“Every morning I want you to think about my friends until your very last
breath. I hope they haunt your thoughts forever. I hope you and your family
suffer every single second of every single day.”

Tyson was offered the chance to say something but declined. While he was led
away in handcuffs, his mother shouted: “I love you Shawn.”

Successful young men with loving families, Mr Cooper, a tennis coach from
Hampton Lucy, Warwicks, met Mr Kouzaris, a town planner from Northampton,
while they were studying at Sheffield University.

They were enjoying a happy holiday in Sarasota last April and had been for a
meal with Mr Cooper’s parents Stanley and Sandy in an area popular
with British tourists when they decided to continue their evening at two
late-night bars.

Police believe the friends may have been hoping to visit an all-night restaurant
when they wandered, drunk, into The Courts, a dimly-lit, dangerous estate
known for drug dealing and violence.

Shawn Tyson, a high-school drop out who had the word “Savage” tattooed across
the chest, had been released from prison in error the day before, after
spraying a car carrying a group of teenage girls with gunfire.

Officials had decided that he was too dangerous to release, but the message
was not passed to the prosecutor involved in his case, and he was freed
after a three-minute hearing.

During the trial, witnesses told how Tyson had boasted that he had spotted the
clearly drunk friends weaving their way through the estate, before
confronting them.

The murder victims were found shirtless and with their trousers pulled down –
hallmarks, police testified, of a street robbery and done to stop them
running away. Tyson’s DNA was later found on the front of Mr Cooper’s
jeans.

In fact, the men each had about £40 in their pockets, along with mobile phones
and a digital camera.

Speaking outside the court, Tyson’s father Tyronne said that the trial was not
fair, and that he would appeal against the sentence.

He went on: “To the families of Cooper and Kouzaris, our deepest sympathies
go out to them. Nothing we say will ever bring their kids back to them.

“Three families’ lives have been destroyed Two will never see their
children again and one family’s child just lost his freedom for the rest of
his life.”

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