What's next for Christopher Vasata?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The verdict is in for the Super Bowl Sunday triple murders in Jupiter.

Prosecutors prevailed, convincing the jury that Christopher Vasata is a brutal killer.

The jury didn’t take very long to make up their mind; just a little over two hours.

"We find the defendant guilty of first-degree murder," the clerk said as he read the verdict aloud in court Thursday.

Vasata could’ve walked away a free man.

The defense said the real killer was someone else, but the jury didn’t buy it.

“Not surprising, the evidence seemed a little overwhelming," said Marc Shiner, a criminal defense attorney from West Palm Beach.

Shiner was a prosecutor in Palm Beach County for 13 years, and for 10 of those years, he handled homicide cases.

He says the last time someone was given the death penalty in Palm Beach County was in the late 1990's. It was a case he prosecuted.

Carlton Francis was convicted of murdering two twin sisters. Shiner says one was decapitated, and one was stabbed 50 to 60 times. He says there's a very real chance that Vasata could get the death penalty.

"As a general rule, it’s very difficult to get the death penalty in Palm Beach County," he said. "But this is an unusual case, you have three deaths. Not just one."

Shiner says in his opinion, the defense will try to portray Vasata as a victim of society if they want to save him from lethal injection.

“The only way to save a guy like this, at this point as a defense lawyer, what I would try to do is show that—if it’s true—that he’s had a horrible upbringing, he may have learning disabilities, he may not really know what he’s doing," he said.

On the other hand, Shiner says prosecutors will try to present evidence to show why he deserves death.

"They have to prove aggravating factors. In this case, you have multiple deaths. So there’s clearly aggravating factors here," Shiner said.

Whatever happens next, Vasata faces a lifetime of punishment.

“Either way, he’s gonna die in prison. The question is when? Is there gonna be a definite date or is he gonna die of old age? But either way, he’s never gonna get out of prison in Florida," Shiner said.

Although Vasata did not testify at his murder trial, he will have the chance to testify in the death penalty phase of the case.

Shiner says if he shows sorrow and remorse for what he did, that could convince the jury to spare his life.

CBS12 News did reach the father of one of the victims Thursday night---Sean Henry’s father---but he declined to comment on the guilty verdict.