MARKS, Miss. — It took a Quitman County jury only an hour Thursday to find Lawrence Reed guilty in the murder of a Clarksdale mayoral candidate.

Marco McMillian was reportedly the first openly gay candidate for a Mississippi public office,  but the jury didn’t buy Reed’s defense that he was the victim of McMillian’s sexual advances.

“Mr. Reed do you have any comment? Do you have anything to say Mr. Reed?” asked WREG.

Reed said nothing as he was led away from the Quitman County courthouse.

Reed was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The verdict is bitter-sweet for the McMillian family.

“Marco was a shinning star.  He would have done a phenomenal job as an elected mayor,’ said Carter Womack,  Marco’s godfather.

Womack spoke as Marco’s parents stood silently by.

“The verdict was just!  Marco’s life was taken, it was an unjust murder. Marco’s death is a loss.”

Reed confessed to killing McMillian, but claimed it was self-defense because McMillian tried to rape him.

Prosecutors say that was never proven.

“He created that story from the beginning to give himself an excuse for why he killed this man,” said Brenda Mitchell, DA for the 11th Circuit District.

District Attorney Mitchell said McMillian was killed in Quitman County, but his body was found on the west side of Coahoma County near the Mississippi River.

He had been doused with gasoline and set on fire.

Reed confessed to choking McMillian with his wallet chain, and pushing his head into some water to make sure he was dead.

Reed took McMillian’s SUV and later wrecked it.

He confessed to the crime, but changed his story this week when he testified in his defense.

The DA said Reed’s story of attempted sexual assault by McMillian just wasn’t believable.

“Based on even his testimony, he said the man “pulled on his shirt” and he didn’t know what he was going to do to him. But then he also testified that he “blacked out.” and when he came to he was choking him. We feel it just didn’t make sense, there was no “heat of passion” involved,” said Brenda Mitchell, DA for the 11th Circuit District.

None of Lawrence Reed’s family members wanted to talk about the verdict.