Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten announced last Friday that a jury has found Nathan Sessing, 19, of Newbury Park guilty of first degree murder using a knife and a baseball bat in the death of Larry Phifer, 61.

The jury also agreed with a special circumstance allegation that the murder occurred during the course of a residential burglary.

Sessing is eligible for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Sessing was also found guilty of a separate residential burglary and assault with a deadly weapon and infliction of great bodily injury.

Sessing was confronted Dec. 1, 2004 in Newbury Park by Brett Cook, 30, while Sessing was attempting to break into a car belonging to Cook's girlfriend. Sessing approached Cook with a knife and stabbed him once in the chest before fleeing the scene.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2004, Sessing broke into Phifer's Newbury Park home and stabbed Phifer numerous times before striking him with a bat, resulting in Phifer's death. Sessing then stole a DVD player from Phifer's home.