Cheers as resident who killed trespassing exchange student found guilty of homicide

A man who shot and killed a German exchange student caught trespassing in his garage has been convicted of deliberate homicide in a case that attracted attention as a test of "stand your ground" laws in the United States that govern the use of deadly force against attackers.

Cheers erupted in the packed courtroom on Wednesday when the verdict was read in the case against Markus Kaarma, 30. The case generated outcry in Germany, where a Hamburg prosecutor said this week his office was conducting its own investigation.

Kaarma shot 17-year-old high school student Diren Dede in the early hours of April 27 after being alerted to an intruder by motion sensors. Witnesses testified Kaarma fired four shotgun blasts at Dede, who was unarmed.

The teen's parents were in the courtroom and hugged and cried at the outcome, while others applauded. "It is very good," said Dede's father, Celal Dede. "Long live justice."

Kaarma remained stoic as he was taken into custody at the end of the hearing. He faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on February 11. His lawyers plan to appeal.

Dede's parents will give statements to the judge to consider at sentencing. Prosecutors asked for the hearing so Celal and Gulcin Dede won't have to return to Montana in February.

The Hamburg teen was studying at Missoula's Big Sky High School and was to leave the US after the school term ended in just a few weeks.