Drifter Guilty of Murder in Fire That Killed 15

A drifter was convicted of murder and arson for starting a blaze in a backpackers hostel in Australia that killed 15 young travelers from five nations.

Friends and family of the victims wept and others yelled "Yes!" after a jury in Brisbane delivered a guilty verdict against Robert Paul Long, 38, a homeless fruit picker.

Long had pleaded innocent to murder and arson charges linked to the June 23, 2000, blaze at the Palace hostel in Childers, a farming community about 190 miles north of Brisbane, the Queensland state capital. He faces a mandatory life sentence. Australia has no death penalty.