MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) A jury found Branden Ajizadeh guilty of murder Thursday after Ajizadeh took the stand to tell his side of the story.
The guilty verdict sparked an outburst of emotion by Ajizadeh's sister and mother. They left the courtroom crying and begging to see their loved one one more time.
Prosecutors say Ajizadeh stabbed 19-year-old James Dean 24 times with a butcher knife in July of 2011 inside Ajizadeh's dorm room.
It only took the jury 20 minutes of deliberating to come back with a guilty verdict. Ajizadeh was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody.
During Ajizadeh's testimony, he completely changed his story, telling the jury he witnessed a friend, Chris Moore, kill James Dean that night. Police say originally Ajizadeh confessed to the killing, claiming self defense.
Prosecutors believe Ajizadeh killed Dean in a moment of passion and rage, because he was jealous of Dean's relationship with their longtime friend Keenan Henderson.
James Dean's family didn't wish to comment on the verdict, but told the media that they needed this time to grieve.
Ajizadeh will be sentenced March 21.
