Man Convicted in Killing of Sister, Brother-in-Law

MARTINEZ, Calif. – Jurors needed less than an hour to find a Sacramento County man guilty of the stabbing and beating deaths of his sister and brother-in-law in their El Cerrito home.

Contra Costa County prosecutors say after deliberating for 45 minutes Tuesday, a jury convicted Edward Wycoff of two counts of first-degree murder for the 2006 killing of Julie Wycoff Rogers and her husband, Paul Rogers.

Prosecutors say with jurors out for such a short period of time, the penalty phase was also set to start Tuesday.

Jurors will decide whether the 40-year-old Wycoff should be sentenced to death, or spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Wycoff, who had acted as his own attorney during the trial, is expected to represent himself during the penalty phase.