Daniel Sylvester is guilty of the second-degree murder of his next-door neighbour, Alicia Ross, an Ontario jury ruled Tuesday after less than four hours of deliberations.

The conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 10 years.

Alicia Ross, 25, was murdered in 2005 outside her Markham home.
(Canadian Press/York Region Police)

Ross's mother, Sharon Fortis, sobbed quietly as the jury's decision was announced in the Newmarket courtroom.

"This verdict now helps all of us move forward to the day when we hope memories will be of cherished happy times rather than painful reminders of Alicia's death," Fortis said outside the court.

Before the conviction was read, Justice Ted Minden warned the audience, which included Sylvester's mother, that the verdict would be emotional and urged them to try to restrain themselves from any loud outbursts.

Sylvester, 33, had pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the beating death of Ross on Aug. 17, 2005.

He tried to plead guilty to manslaughter before the start of the trial but the Crown rejected the plea.

Minden will now decide how long Sylvester must wait to be eligible for parole — a choice that ranges from 10 to 25 years. The decision will be handed down in court on July 4.

During the three-week trial, the court heard Sylvester tell police in taped interviews that he killed 25-year-old Ross late at night after a chance encounter on the pathway between their homes in Markham, a suburb north of Toronto.

'Craftily rehearsed' story

In the confession, Sylvester told police the meeting became heated, and Ross swore at him and called him a loser. Sylvester then slapped her, pinned her down and banged her head on the ground until she stopped breathing.

He put her body in the trunk of his mother's car and disposed of it in Manilla, about 45 kilometres from Markham.

Outside the court Tuesday, Ross's mother accused Sylvester of fabricating a "craftily rehearsed" story to explain why he killed her daughter.

"[It was] put forward so co-operatively on video so as to mask itself as a remorseful confession," she said. "Its shrewd creator never thereafter required by law to be questioned or cross-examined further."

During the trial, Sylvester's lawyer had argued the killing was unintentional and provoked by Ross calling him a loser.  

The defence called just one witness, a forensic psychologist whose testimony dealt with Sylvester's mental state.

Dr. Mark Ben-Aron called Sylvester a "highly dysfunctional" person who suffered from low self-esteem, but said he never intended to kill Ross.