The Perrys admitted there was a time when they didn't think they would ever see anyone convicted for the young man's death.

"We really thought it would be dealt with in the afterlife," Lee Perry said.

But with today's advances in collecting and analyzing DNA evidence, the Perrys said they would encourage any family that is involved in a cold case crime to never give up hope. The Perry family praised prosecutors Thursday and the work of the Utah State Crime Lab for preserving evidence for 22 years.

Before the jury came back with its decision, Richards asked the jurors during his closing arguments for mercy.

"It's hard for me to fathom the taking of another man's life," he said while asking the jury to "think about death but consider life" and "think about justice but consider mercy."

During his closing arguments, Smith reminded the jury of how Perry was brutally murdered by being stabbed multiple times with a screw driver and having his skull crushed. He called the nature of the crime "animalistic" and "savage."

"This was a death that Mr. Griffin made Brad Perry feel," he said.

He pointed out that Griffin has had a "persistent pattern of violent, anti-social destructive conduct" his entire adult life as well as a pattern of "selfishness" and "self-absorption," even though at age 3 months he was adopted into a good home with loving parents.

"Mr. Griffin did hot have a disadvantaged life," Smith said.

Griffin "chose his conduct," Smith said, noting that, "The murder of Brad Perry unfolded over time."

But Richards countered by saying the death penalty was not necessary because Griffin would receive a just penalty by being sent to prison where he will be in solitary confinement and not have a parole hearing for at least 25 years.

Griffin's troubled childhood, drug use and brain disorder did not excuse his actions, but it did help explain them, Richards argued.

"Mercy is given to the undeserving, otherwise it is not mercy," he said. "Mercy is entrenched in the hearts of good. Mercy is an attribute of God."

Also during Thursday's hearing, Hadfield addressed both the families of Perry and Griffin, calling the past five weeks through the trial and now the sentencing phase an "extraordinary experience."

"I haven't seen any anger or vengeance on the part of either family ... that's remarkable," he said. "I wish both sides the very best."

Hadfield also commended the Griffin family for attending all the hearings, noting that in many cases a defendant does not have anyone show up for support.

Griffin will return to court Dec. 3 for formal sentencing.

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E-mail: preavy@desnews.com