ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A jury gave its verdict Monday in the first trial against the man charged in the killings of three Muslim men two years ago.

Muhammad Syed was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Aftab Hussein. The charge also carries a firearm enhancement. The verdict was reached after just three hours of deliberation.

The state says this is the outcome they were working toward in the first of three trials against Syed.

“I think the jury heard very strong evidence in this case and they were able to make the right decision that we believe, which is convicting him of first-degree murder,” said state prosecutor David Waymire. “This was clearly a very deliberate killing so we’re happy that the jury was able to see that.”

Waymire said several key pieces of evidence helped the jury reach its verdict. For example, cell records show Syed’s phone circling the murder scene, and a note in his phone saying the murder was a test of the AK-47 that was later found under Syed’s bed.

Syed’s attorneys say they were disappointed.

“We respect the jury system, it’s the best system in the world, obviously disappointed but the jury made their decision, it was a unanimous decision regarding our client’s guilt, and we have to respect that,” said Thomas Clark with the defense.

The brother of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain – who Syed is also accused of killing – was in the courtroom too.

“It gives relief that police have found and proved that he’s the one who killed Aftab Hussein,” said Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain.

While the community waits for the two other trials, one thing seems to stay unclear.

“Just in terms of a possible motive, we are not able to uncover anything that would indicate a motive that would explain this,” Waymire said. “As best we could tell, this could be a case of a serial killer, where there’s a motive known only to them and not really something we can understand.”

The state said the next trial for Syed could be this summer.

Syed is facing a life sentence in this case, but both the defense and the state say it seems sentencing will wait until all three trials are completed.