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A jury on Wednesday found former DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy Derrick Yancey guilty of killing his wife and a day laborer. Yancey, 51, was convicted on two counts of malice murder and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

A sentencing date has not been set, according to Orzy Theus, spokesman for the DeKalb County District Attorney’s office. Yancey faces a maximum of two life sentences.

The jury of seven men and five women found Yancey guilty of killing his wife Linda and day laborer Marcial Cax-Puluc inside Yancey’s Stone Mountain home in 2008.

The verdict ended three days of deliberations by the jury. Yancey did not testify on his own behalf.

At the end of the first day of deliberation in DeKalb County Superior Court on Oct. 30, the jury requested to review the 911 tape and crime scene video when deliberations resumed on Nov.1. 

During the trial, the state raised questions about Yancey’s statement that he was acting in self defense when he shot and killed Cax-Puluc, and his demeanor during the 911 call.

“Why was the gun placed in [Cax-Puluc’s] hand when there has been testimony that he’s right-handed? The blood on his hands is consistent with holding a wound,” chief assistant district attorney Don Geary said. “What about the fact that there was no blood on the defendant’s face although he claimed to have given CPR to his wife, who had blood coming from her mouth?”

To that the defense pointed to state witnesses who testified to the contrary.

“One of the state’s own witnesses stated Mr. Yancey was so distraught officers had to carry him out of the basement,” defense co-counsel Ruth McMullin said.