By RYAN CHRISTNER

rchristner@dailynews.net

OSBORNE -- Finding a dry eye or a voice capable of producing speech Tuesday inside the Osborne County Courthouse after Kenneth Eugene Wilson was found guilty of the March 2008 murder of Portis resident Jeffery Scott Noel was a tough task.

After less than three hours of deliberation, jurors returned unanimous guilty verdicts against Wilson for all four of the charges against him: the premeditated first-degree murder of Noel, the aggravated burglary of Noel's rural home, burglary of a residence in Downs and criminal possession of a firearm.

The conviction ends a nearly 14-month-long wait by Scott Noel's family to find closure after his death.

"We are eternally grateful to the many agents and investigators who worked countless hours to bring this senseless act to justice," Heather Noel, the wife of Scott Noel's son Jasson, said as she read from a prepared statement during an impromptu press conference on the courthouse steps.

"Furthermore, we would like to thank the community for their open hearts and prayers. We will never forget the many acts of kindness offered to our family."

A guilty verdict was, of course, one of two possible rulings the jury had the option of returning.

On Tuesday morning, state Attorney General Steve Six and Wilson's attorney, Paul Oller, were given one last chance to recap the evidence presented in the case and convince jurors their side had made the stronger case.

"If you follow the evidence and if you connect the dots in this case," Six said during his closing remarks, "it leads to the defendant, Kenneth Wilson."

He then reiterated the facts he and his team discussed previously while presenting the state's case: the similarities of the burglaries in Kansas and Nebraska in which they alleged Wilson had involvement, the cigarettes taken from various crime scenes that were tested for DNA and matched Wilson's, and the stolen property that was later recovered during a search of the defendant's home.

Referencing the opinion he gave Monday prior to starting the case for the defense, Oller then attempted to show the jury there was sufficient doubt as to whether Wilson was guilty of murder.

"The consequences of this trial are severe," he said. "We want to be certain ... that each and every one of you has resolved every single doubt."

Anything less than the "utmost certainty of guilt," he added, should be met with a verdict that absolves Wilson of the crime.

The only piece of evidence presented by the state that directly tied Wilson to the murder was a single cigarette butt found inside the Noel home, a fact that became more suspicious, Oller said, when taking into account the lack of a smell of smoke in the house and the absence of ash or charred markings on the tile floor, where a cigarette might have been snuffed out.

"The evidence shows that it was either intentionally or unintentionally placed there," Oller said. "If there is a doubt about how that cigarette gets into Scott Noel's house, then there is a doubt about who might have killed Scott Noel."

Ultimately, the jury was not persuaded by that argument, and Wilson now faces the possibility of life in prison. His sentencing has been scheduled for June 23 in Osborne County.

With the trial finished and a suspect convicted, one of the last chapters in the tragic death of Scott Noel has been completed.

For his family, however, there always will be one piece that never can be put back into place.

"Scott was a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend," Heather Noel read during the press conference. "Anyone who knew him was reminded of what makes this country great: hard work and integrity. He will always be remembered as a genuine soul whose smile and laughter could light up a room. You will always be loved in our hearts."

As she delivered the family's statement, a pickup previously owned by Scott Noel and later sold by the family was seen passing the courthouse as its new owner drove across the street.

A sign from above, his family members noted.