Wesson Found Guilty of Killing 9

The jury, which deliberated for 10 days, also found Wesson guilty of 14 counts of forcible rape, oral copulation and continuous sexual abuse involving his daughters and nieces.

The killings, which were triggered by a child custody dispute, have been described as the worst mass murder in the city's history. The victims, ages 1 to 25, were all shot in an eye; their bodies were found stacked in a backroom in the house, from youngest to oldest.

While the verdicts were read, Wesson, much slimmer and dressed in black, sat silently. Afterward, his wife, Elizabeth, and other relatives left in tears without speaking to reporters. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer and Dist. Atty. Elizabeth Egan also were present.

Later, Sofina Solorio, whose 7-year-old son Jonathan was among the murder victims and who herself was a victim of abuse, said she wanted to talk but would wait. Jurors now will enter the penalty phase of the trial, which is expected to begin next week.

"I have a lot to say," Solorio said, "but I'm not going to say it right now."

The case earned this Central Valley town a spot in the national media and got so much local attention that defense attorneys unsuccessfully sought a change of venue. Judge R.L. Putnam asked the lawyers not to discuss the case with the media, and attorneys for both sides declined to be interviewed Friday.

The three-month trial -- and the testimony of 50 witnesses -- offered a disturbing family portrait, replete with polygamy, incest, bizarre Bible teachings and vampire admiration.

The March 12, 2004, murders were prompted by a child custody dispute. Years before, two of Wesson's nieces whom he had "married" had left the family home and given their children to him to raise.

A feud broke out when the women and their supporters went to the Wesson house to retrieve their children. After a standoff with police, Wesson walked outside, his clothes smeared with blood, all the children dead.

The prosecution prevailed in spite of evidence suggesting that Wesson might not have pulled the trigger. His fingerprints and DNA were not found on the murder weapon. Gun residue was not found on his hands.