New Year's Eve Killer Found Guilty of Murder

A Mission Viejo man was murdered on New Year's Day 2011, a jury decided Wednesday.

Dana Point resident Adam Randy Baker, 24, was convicted today of second-degree murder for the killing of 27-year-old Robert Sickles, an Air Force veteran, during a New Year's party in Costa Mesa in 2011.

Read about Robert Sickles' public memorial in 2011 here.

Baker was also convicted of attempted murder for stabbing Sickles' friend, Brian McTeigue, around 2 a.m. Jan. 1, 2011, at the Costa Mesa Hilton.

Baker's sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

In total, Baker was convicted of three felonies:

• Second-degree murder
• Attempted murder
• Use of a deadly weapon while commiting a felony

Second-degree murder carries a sentence of 15 years to life. Baker faces 24 years to life in prison, Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy told City News Service.

After the jury read their verdict, Baker was handcuffed and taken to jail, CNS said.

Here's a statement from Robert Sickles' father, Jim Sickles, who told CNS he had "a constant butterfly in the stomach feeling" while waiting for the verdict.

Those 12 people told us today what we knew all along. We knew the character of our son and no verdict would change that, but those 12 people reinforced that feeling. A huge burden is lifted. (Baker) finally got what he should have got two years ago.

Do you have a message for the victim's family? Tell us in the comments below.