AUBURN – Thomas Dyer and Gary Gauthier Jr., charged with murdering two Auburn men last year, were found guilty this morning.



A jury spent four hours – three on Friday and one on Monday – deliberating before delivering its verdict.

The two defendants, Dyer, 21 and Gauthier, 26, both of Auburn, await sentencing.



The trial in Androscoggin County Superior Court lasted nearly five days.



Prosecutors focused on DNA evidence aimed at linking the defendants to bloodstains on clothing that matched the two victims, John Graffam, 30, and James Vining, 43. Their bodies were found a year ago buried in shallow graves beside abandoned railroad tracks off Foss Road in Lewiston.



The trial took a dramatic turn when Dyer took the stand, saying Gauthier was the leader and forced Dyer at knife point to participate.