A Douglas County jury on Wednesday convicted a man of killing an Omaha real estate agent, whose body he left in a crawl space in the garage of a home the suspect intended to rent.

The jury deliberated about two hours before finding Ross Lorello III, 44, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 70-year-old Mickey Sodoro on Dec. 28, 2020, KETV reported.

Lorello will be sentenced May 4, but he is expected to receive an automatic life sentence.

Prosecutors said Lorello shot Sodoro in the back of the head and left his body in the crawl space after the two men met to complete a rental agreement for the home.

Lorello left evidence implicating him in the killing after the home's previous owner showed up minutes after the shooting looking for Sodoro, prosecutors said.

Lorello reportedly told police that he had signed the rental agreement and Sodoro then left the home with someone else.

Korey Taylor, an attorney representing Lorello, had argued in court that no evidence directly linked his client to the killing.