An Escambia County jury on Thursday found Perry James Ford Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in the death last year of Carolyn Barnes, a 75-year-old woman he met at his grandmother's church.

The jury deliberated for roughly four hours before returning with the verdict at about 3:30 p.m.

Ford was immediately sentenced by Judge John Miller to life in prison. The 19-year-old is a former Booker T. Washington High School football player who was completing a final high school course at the time the murder was committed. Ford was expected to start a college football scholarship in Minnesota after graduation.

Ford and Barnes met through their mutual church, Gateway Church of Christ, after they were introduced by Ford's grandmother.

During closing arguments in the case Thursday, Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Jensen said Ford had stolen money from not just Barnes, but from other church members in the months leading up to her death.

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Barnes and Ford had signed an agreement that Ford would pay back the money he owed at a later date. That document was found by Barnes' brother when he was clearing the woman's house after her death.

Jensen referenced phone records that show Ford's younger brother's cellphone, which was in Ford's possession, called Barnes three times in the hour before she died on Sept. 9.

Home security system logs show Barnes locked down the system just after the last call with Ford ended, and then motion in the house was detected minutes later. The front door opened and closed several times before it closed one last time at 1:06 a.m.  There was no motion for 33 hours until Barnes' body was discovered by a friend on Sept. 10.

However, defense attorney Willie Huntley claimed there were holes in the state's argument. He said there was no DNA evidence to tie Ford to the crime, or even to Barnes' house during her estimated time of death.

He said Ford was a good, church-going kid who was close with his grandmother. He said Ford repeatedly told police during his initial interview that he didn't kill Barnes.

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Jensen pointed to the cell tower data that showed the phone Ford had during the night of Barnes' murder was moving to several locations near her Flintwood Circle home. She said Ford told police he was at a friend's house all night when the murder occurred.

Huntley urged the jury to look at home security system logs earlier in the night Barnes was killed. He alleges there could have been another person at her home earlier in the night with frequent movement recorded in the hours between 7 p.m. and midnight.

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