The sentencing phase for Desmond Lavonta Brown, who was convicted of the murder of two Rome sisters, is set to begin this morning.

A Cherokee County, Alabama, jury found Brown guilty of capital murder last week, which can carry the death penalty. Now that he has been convicted, the trial essentially enters a second phase where jurors will hear testimony prior to imposing a sentence.

Under Alabama law, capital murder cases require a unanimous jury vote for a guilty verdict. But in the penalty phase, a jury can impose the death penalty on a 10-2 or 11-1 vote. A proposal before the Alabama legislature in 2023 to require a unanimous vote to impose the death penalty failed to move forward.

Brown is accused of killing two sisters in Alabama and dumping their bodies near the Etowah River in Floyd County in 2020.