MARTINEZ (BCN) -- Jurors in Martinez have decided Edward Wycoff should be sentenced  to death for killing his sister and brother-in-law in their El Cerrito home  in 2006.

The eight-man, four-woman jury only deliberated for about an hour  and 10 minutes before returning with its verdict on Thursday.

Wycoff, a 40-year-old Sacramento-area man, represented himself  during trial and testified at length about his reasons for the murders,  claiming that he had a right to kill Julie Rogers, 47, and her husband Paul  Rogers, 48, because they were "bad people" and were out to get him.

He said he planned the murders for weeks and then, on Jan. 31, at  about 4:30 a.m., he broke into the family's home at 1467 Rifle Range Road in  the El Cerrito hills and stabbed and bludgeoned the couple to death.

Two of the couple's three children were home when the attack  happened. They hid in a bedroom while Eric Rogers, who was 17 at the time,  called 911.

Wycoff was convicted on Oct. 27 of two counts of first-degree  murder with enhancements for the use of a knife and a wheelbarrow handle.  Jurors also found true the special-circumstance allegation that Wycoff  committed multiple murders, which made him eligible for the death penalty.

Throughout the trial, Wycoff attempted to make jokes, threatened  attorneys and claimed that he deserved to be rewarded for the murders, not  punished.

"Heeeere's Edward," Wycoff said as he entered the courtroom to  hear the verdict Thursday.

When asked when he would like to be sentenced, Wycoff suggested  Dec. 8, his 41st birthday.

"He's a frightening individual in the sense that if he believes  something is morally right, he's going to take action," Deputy District  Attorney Mark Peterson said outside the courtroom.

He said the case was unusual for him, since he has never  prosecuted a defendant who was "so bold about the reasons why he committed  the crimes."

"This jury deserved a more dignified and thoughtful trial than the  one they got," David Briggs, an attorney who assisted Wycoff throughout the  trial, said.

He said the jury never heard an articulate plea made on behalf of  Wycoff and there was clearly additional evidence that Wycoff never introduced  at trial.

Although he could not elaborate on what that evidence was, he said  that Wycoff mentioned several psychiatrists and psychologists during trial,  but the jury never heard from any of them.

Eric Rogers said he was disappointed by the verdict.

"I wish death wasn't even on the table so it wasn't a decision  they had to make," Eric Rogers said. In court, he told the jury that he  believed Wycoff was "mentally childish" and should not be sentenced to death  for the murders.

Earlier this week, Eric Rogers told reporters that he was opposed  to the death penalty, as were his parents.

Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge John Kennedy, however,  ruled that Eric Rogers could not testify about his or his parents' feelings  about the death penalty.

Douglas Bowman, a longtime friend of Paul Rogers, said that Paul  and Julie Rogers were wonderful people who were dearly loved by family,  friends and people in the community.

"My dad was one of the most intelligent and compassionate people  I've ever known," the couple's daughter, who was 12 when her parents were  murdered, testified earlier this week.

She said he was generous, calm, sincere, caring and open-minded.  She said her mother was "also very compassionate and intelligent."

"She thought a lot. She was very creative, really kind and  thoughtful," the daughter said.

"Dead man walking," Wycoff said as bailiffs brought him out of the  courtroom in chains. "Watch out. Dead man walking."

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