Teenage thug Shawn Tyson was jailed for life for the shocking murder of James Cooper and James Kouzaris. The pair were gunned down during a botched robbery in the popular tourist town of Sarasota three years ago after stumbling into a rundown housing estate. Tyson, who was aged just 16 at the time, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole after being convicted of first degree murder. Killer: Shawn Tyson was sentenced to life in prison for murdering James Cooper and James Kouzaris In June he launches an appeal against the sentence - and plans to play the race card in a bid to get his conviction quashed.
@highlight
Shawn Tyson was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of British tourists James Cooper and James Kouzaris
@highlight
Tyson is now appealing his sentence
@highlight
11 of the jurors who sat on Tyson's trial were white
@highlight
Tyson is black, and his attorneys will likely use the predominantly white jury in their client's favor
Devastated: 'We thought we had seen the last of this nasty piece of work and it just fills us with horror that he could get the conviction overturned,' said a friend of the @placeholder family