A man was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder on Monday for killing two graduate students from China during a robbery in this U.S. city.
Javier Bolden, 22, faces a sentence of life in prison without parole for the April 11, 2012, killings of Ying Wu and Ming Qu, both aged 23 and studying electrical engineering at University of South California (USC).
The two victims were shot while sitting inside a locked car that was double-parked on a street near the USC campus.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 17.
In his closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Dan Akemon told jurors that "the evidence of guilt in this case is overwhelming."
The two graduate students were "helpless victims" that presented an "attractive target," the prosecutor said.
He said Bolden and another man, Bryan Barnes, were "essentially ambushing" the couple and "counting down the seconds of the lives of these victims" as they approached the car from behind while communicating on cell phones.
Barnes, also 22, fired two shots inside the car. He pleaded guilty in February and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Barnes and Bolden have been jailed without bail since being arrested on May 18, 2012, for their suspected involvement in the double-murder case.