A Summit County jury took just over two hours to decide that Richard Beasley should die for the murders of three men in a Craigslist phony job scheme.

At just after 6 PM on Wednesday evening, Judge Lynne Callahan announced the jury's decision in her Summit County Common Pleas Courtroom: the jury recommended the death penalty for the murders of Ralph Geiger, Timothy Kern and David Pauley.

Summit County assistant prosecuting attorney Jon Baumoel told reporters after the trial that the decision is a fit punishment for a man who deserves to be put to death for his crimes.

"The law in Ohio for the death penalty is reserved for the worst of the worst and it's the State's position that Richard Beasley is the worst of the worst," Baumoel said.

The jury's verdict came at the end of the mitigation phase, where witnesses for the defense tried to spare Beasley's life. Those witnesses included Beasley's mother, Carol, who told of a long-time pattern of abuse allegedly at the hands of two of her husbands.

It's that abuse that a forensic psychologist, a witness for the defense, said affected Richard Beasley from age four or five until the present day.

After a jury said her son should die for being a murderer, Carol Beasley was very emotional after the jury's recommendation.

"Just pray for me, pray for Richard, and pray for the victims' families," she said tearfully as she exited the courtroom.

Lori Hildreth, the sister of lone survivor Scott Davis, is looking forward to Judge Callahan's final sentencing next week.

"He deserves the death penalty and I really hope that's what he gets," she said.

Timothy Kern's father, Jack, thinks that'll bring closure.

"With the sentencing it'll be done, finally, finally," Kern told reporters after the trial. "There's not a day that goes by that anybody of the families do not think of their loved ones."

The defense testimony falls under "mitigating circumstances". In the end, the same jury which convicted Beasley of three counts of aggravated murder and other charges decided those "mitigating circumstances" weren't enough to outweigh the cirumstances of the crimes.

Juror Mike Fallucco of Akron said it was a highly emotional experience for him and the rest of the jurors, especially during Davis' testimony.

"For this person to come up and testify about another person wanting to take his life it makes you think...about all kinds of things, it was scary," Fallucco explained to AkronNewsNow.com's Aaron Coleman after the court proceedings ended.

"It was an honor to work with these men and women and I think we came up with the right decision," said Fallucco.

Judge Lynne Callahan's formal sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday at 1:15 PM.