JESUP — It only took an hour for a Wayne County jury to convict the killer of an Odum couple in grizzly fashion in 2012.

Antonio Lanier was found guilty of murder, armed robbery and other charges related to the shooting deaths of his girlfriend’s mother and stepfather in their home.  He was sentenced to two life sentences without parole related to the murders, and life without parole for the armed robbery.  He also received an additional 10 years for the theft and a year for the evidence tampering convictions.  The firearms conviction earned Lanier another 5 years to be served consecutively to the life sentences.

Lanier’s girlfriend, Heather Tipton, had pled guilty to murder already and testified that she and Lanier had gone to the Love’s home, where she lived with her teenage son, and killed the couple.

She testified they had used the Love’s own guns to first kill Anne Love in the bathroom and then ambush Auda Love when he arrived home from work later that day.  Lanier and Tipton used shotguns and pistols to kill the Love’s in a very violent fashion, including shooting Anne Love in the face with the shotgun.

Tipton, now 38, was almost twice Lanier’s age when the murders occurred.  They had joined a gang called Folk Nation.  Lanier is black and Tipton is white.

Anne Love had written Tipton a $40 check as a birthday present and in further brazen fashion, Tipton forged a $300 check on Love’s account and cashed it after the murder took place.

Tipton’s son now lives with his aunt in Tennessee.