US father convicted of Killing 9 children

A US man has been convicted of murdering nine of his children, whose bodies were found last year in a bloody pile, each with …

A US man has been convicted of murdering nine of his children, whose bodies were found last year in a bloody pile, each with a gunshot wound through the eye.

Marcus Wesson, 58, could get the death penalty.

The jury took more than two weeks to find Wesson guilty on nine counts of first-degree murder. He was also convicted on all 14 counts of raping and molesting seven of his underage daughters and nieces.

Many of Wesson's surviving family members still support him and stifled sobs as a clerk read the verdicts. Wesson remained quiet and still.

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The defence had argued that 25-year-old Sebhrenah Wesson - the oldest to die - killed herself as well as her siblings and the 1-year-old son she had with her father.

Prosecutors said Marcus Wesson was the triggerman, but they also argued that even if Sebhrenah did the shooting, her father should still be found guilty if he encouraged her to kill.

The jurors accepted the prosecution's second theory: They found Wesson guilty even though they decided the government did not prove he pulled the trigger.

AP