Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley imposed the death sentence Wednesday on convicted murderer Lawrence Rice.

Jurors deliberated over what sentence to mete out —- death or life with or without the possibility of parole —- about seven hours over two days.

Eight jurors returned to hear the verdict, sitting in the back row of a courtroom packed with friends and family of Rice's victims. They left without commenting.

Rice did not say anything.

"May God have mercy upon your soul," Staley said after imposing the sentence.

On Monday, the jurors convicted Rice of two counts each of murder and felony murder in the deaths of Connie Mincher and her 14-year-old son, Ethan, on April 17, 2003, in their east Cobb home. They also convicted Rice of burglary, and Staley imposed a 20-year sentence on him for that crime.

After the sentence Connie Mincher's brother, Damon Sticher, read a statement on the courthouse steps.

"The guilty verdict is the verdict that we were hoping and praying for," said Sticher, 57, of Douglasville. "And we realize that there are no winners here today. The verdict will not bring Connie and Ethan back to us, and the defendant has lost his freedom. This has been a long, hard five years for us. And we've learned you have to have strong friends, strong family and strong faith to get you through times like these."

Sticher thanked the jurors for their decision and Cobb police, prosecutors, the medical examiner and the emergency personnel and "anyone that's touched this case. We just want you to know that you've touched our hearts."

Marlee Mincher, who found the bodies of her mother and brother, declined to speak to reporters. She was 12 years old when they died.

Rice had worked for Trevor Mincher, Connie Mincher's husband, at an Atlanta video company, Video Tape Associates, or VTA, in 1990.

Staff researcher Sharon Gaus contributed to this article.