Georgia man convicted of 5 murders in 2016 shooting deaths

MOULTRIE, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia man has been found guilty of murdering five friends in 2016 and trying to cover it up by burning down a house.

After a four-day trial in Moultrie, Superior Court Judge James Hardy on Thursday pronounced Jeffrey Peacock guilty on 14 counts, including five counts of murder.

News outlets report Peacock will serve five consecutive life sentences without parole for the murders. He also was convicted of five counts of possessing a gun during the commission of a felony, one count of arson and three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals for dogs that died in the fire.

Peacock's attorney claimed that his client only killed one person. Allan Sincox said Peacock shot Jordan Croft after Croft killed the four others.