Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Cola Beale was convicted in three murders. Beale was convicted of two murder charges on Wednesday. News 3 regrets the error.
A jury found Cola Beale guilty Wednesday of murdering his girlfriend and his father figure before burning down his girlfriend's townhome.
Jury selection began on Monday, and the case was concluded just two days later.
Beale confessed the murders to News 3 in a jailhouse interview in 2022.
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Man accused of 3 homicides admits to multiple crimes in interview
At the time, he told News 3 that he "snapped" and shot his girlfriend, Czavi'er Hill, 31, in the head because her parents "kept confronting him about his plans" with their daughter.
During closing arguments Wednesday morning Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Michael Defricke told the jury that Beale abducted his girlfriend Czavi'er Hill by gagging her and taping up her arms.
Defricke said they have shown ring camera footage from the afternoon of March 22, 2022, showing Hill and Beale going into Hill's home arguing and then a muffled pop.
He said Hill is then never seen again but that you could later see Beale leave the home with a gun.
Hill's body was recovered two days later after Beale set her home on fire and burned Hill's dog alive while it was still inside a kennel.
Defricke argued these killings were malicious because Beale bounded Hill and tortured her dog before she shot Hill in the head on March 22.
Defricke went on to say on March 24 or 25, Clifton Baxter was killed in his home. Baxter was in a relationship with Beale’s mother and continued to have a relationship with him after they broke up.
He said Baxter's murder was deliberate because Baxter was sleeping on his couch when he was shot and when police arrived at the home the doors had been locked and the window shades were down.
"It's real hurtful because my brother raised him and he felt like he treated him like he was his son so how could you take his life like that," Sherry Edwards Banks, Baxter's sister, said.
The deputy commonwealth attorney also referred to a video of Beale's interrogation where he admitted to police he killed Hill and Baxter.
After about an hour of deliberating the jury found Beale guilty on two aggravated murder charges, two counts of arson, one count of abduction, two counts of using a gun to commit murder, and one count of mutilating a dog.
As the court was discussing a sentencing hearing date Beale said in the courtroom, 'Can yall get this shi* over with bro.'
Judge James Lewis then told deputies to take Beale out of the courtroom.
The office of the Commonwealth's Attorney said Beale could face life and his sentencing is scheduled for July 2.
On day one of the trial, prosecutors brought up their first witness, Detective Chris Jachimiak with the Virginia Beach Police Department.
Jachimiak interviewed Beale after he was arrested.
In a video shown during that interview, Beale admitted to shooting Hill and Clifton Baxter.
He told detectives he felt neither Hill's family nor his own had his back.
Beale said he tied Hill up in her room and was just going to leave her like that until he brought her dog in, covered it in bleach, and had a lighter.
"I pulled her dog in the room and I was gonna set the dog on fire, and she told me, 'No, don’t do nothing to the dog. You can take me and do whatever you were going to do to the dog to me instead,' and so that's what I did," Beale said to News 3.
Hill's body was discovered two days later by police when her townhome went up in flames.
Hill's dog was also found dead in the home.
In the video, Beale said he watched Hill's dog burn alive and thought it was funny.
He also took Hill's car and set it on fire.
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In the video the detective asked Beale if he had any remorse.
"When you feel dead, you don't care who dies," Beale said in the video.
Beale told News 3 in 2022 that at the time he had "no remorse" for killing Hill. "When you snap, you don't think about remorse," he said.
Twelve hours after Beale said he killed Hill, he headed to Clifton Baxter's home on Linda Court in Virginia Beach, where he said he killed the 73-year-old.
WATCH: Part 1: Cola Beale's jailhouse confession
WATCH: Part 2: Cola Beale's jailhouse confession
Beale then proceeded to kill his cousin, 32-year-old Downing McLean, he told News 3.
"I got fed up with him because he didn't think I was helping him, so I said, 'Man, I just killed two people... do you think I'm not ready to shoot again?'" Beale said. "I went right in the kitchen, shot him in the head. He didn’t drop and kept moving, so I shot him in the back to make sure he hit the ground."
He is facing a separate murder charge in Norfolk for the homicide of his cousin.
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After killing three people, Beale said he took McLean's girlfriend hostage in an Airbnb, where he watched the news coverage of his manhunt.
"I was watching y'all's broadcasts," he said. "Y'all did some good broadcasts."
Beale also admitted to plotting more murders while in the Airbnb.
One week after Beale began the killing spree, he was caught by U.S. Marshals.
Beale has a criminal history dating back to 2005 including armed robbery and sexual assault on a child.
Editor’s note: In previous coverage, News 3 has referred to Clifton Baxter as Beale’s “adoptive father.” Baxter was in a relationship with Beale’s mother and continued to have a relationship with him after they broke up, but did not legally adopt him.
