A Mendocino County jury returned guilty verdicts on Friday afternoon against two men for their involvement in a July 2011 murder and attempted murder at Bu Shay Campground at Lake Mendocino.

Marvin Douglas Johnson, Jr., 33, and Simon Thornton, 23, have been on trial since May 21, with the jury being sent out to commence deliberations Thursday afternoon, according to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office.

The two men were charged for the fatal shooting on July 20 of 40-year-old Joseph Litteral of Willits. They also shot and wounded Litteral's friend, Brandon Richard Haggett, 20, also of Willits.

Johnson was found guilty of first degree murder and attempted first degree murder, while a special allegation that he was armed with a firearm was found true. He was found not guilty of attempted kidnapping, officials reported.

The jury also found Thornton guilty of first degree murder and attempted first degree murder, and found true two special allegations of being armed with a firearm and use of a deadly weapon, a bat. Like Johnson, he was found not guilty of attempted kidnapping.

As required by law, both defendants were referred by Judge Ann Moorman to Mendocino County Adult Probation Officer Jim Brown’s office for a social study and sentencing recommendation.  

A sentencing hearing was calendared for June 29 at 9 a.m.

Based on the verdicts, Johnson is facing a state prison sentence of up to 33 years to life with the possibility of parole, while Thornton is facing up to 34 year to life with the possibility of parole.

The prosecutor was Assistant District Attorney Paul Sequeira. Defendant Johnson was represented by attorney Jan Cole-Wilson, and defendant Thornton was represented by Deputy Public Defender Farris Purviance III.

Two other crime-related defendants, William Hale Crocker, 31, and Arone Joseph Schnebly, 36, are awaiting trial for their involvement in the same August 2011 incident at Lake Mendocino, the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office said.