Teen Faces Life Sentence in Slaying of UK Tourists In a case that generated blaring tabloid headlines in the U.K. press, a Florida teen is facing life in prison without parole for murdering two young British tourists who got lost and wandered into a housing project where their convicted killer lived. After an eight-day trial, a jury on Wednesday convicted 17-year-old Shawn Tyson of two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting of James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, last April. The two men were on a three-week Sarasota holiday and spent an evening drinking when they got lost. Both were considered fun-loving world travelers by those who knew them. Their friends Paul Davis and Joe Hallett said the pair had a knack for making friends with people of all ages and races. Cooper had traveled to Australia and loved tennis; he was a tennis pro in his hometown and had played against countryman Andy Murray. Kouzaris played rugby, taught English in Taiwan and had traveled through Central America prior to visiting Sarasota. The men were in Florida staying with Cooper's family on a Gulf coast beach near Sarasota and on April 15, they dined and drank downtown. Authorities said both were drunk when they got lost and accidentally wandered just before 3 a.m. into the housing project where Tyson lived. Witnesses testified that Tyson told them he saw two "crackers" - a derogatory term for white people - walking through the neighborhood and that he intended to rob them. The men also told Tyson they were lost. Hallett said friends and family were thankful for the support provided by Sarasota police and municipal officials. And Davis, who attended the trial, said although he was satisfied with the verdict, it rang hollow. "Ours is a life sentence with no chance of parole for a broken heart and a shattered soul," Davis said. Both men also said they were "dissatisfied" with the lack of support or condolences from the United States government and President Barack Obama in particular. "We would like to publicly express our dissatisfaction at the lack of any public or private message of support or condolence," Joe Hallett, a friend of the two victims said. Tyson did not show emotion as Davis and Hallett spoke. Neither did Tyson's mother, who was also present. Since their deaths, friends and family have started a foundation to prevent youth violence in the United Kingdom.