HAHNVILLE — A St. Charles Parish man is going to prison for life, and prosecutors said the bravery displayed by a child helped put him there.

A St. Charles Parish jury returned guilty verdicts Thursday of second degree murder and attempted second degree murder for Ed Veillon Jr. after just over an hour of deliberation.

Authorities said Veillon killed his 15-year-old son, Seth Veillon, and attempted to kill Seth’s mother, Nicole Veillon, the same night.

Veillon, 50, was arrested April 22, 2018.

“This conviction would have been much more difficult to secure without the eyewitness testimony of Nicole’s 10-year-old daughter,” St. Charles Parish District Attorney Joel Chaisson said. “It is my hope that this verdict will bring the closure that this family needs to try to move on with their lives.”

The verdict capped a two-day trial, which was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Connie Aucoin.

Veillon faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the Louisiana Department of Corrections on the second degree murder conviction.

Judge Emile R. St. Pierre set sentencing for July 2.

Police said the violence only ended after the family’s 9-year-old daughter escaped and alerted neighbors of the danger.

Sheriff’s Office deputies responded shortly after 6 p.m. at 136 Lynn Drive in Paradis, locating Seth Veillon on the floor with multiple gunshot wounds.

Deputies and EMTs attempted life-saving measures to no avail, police said. Deputies also found Nicole Veillon, 43, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds lying on the floor.

Police said the Veillons’ then 9-year-old daughter fled the home during the shooting and was unharmed.

“The unspeakable crimes perpetrated by Ed Veillon Jr. broke a family and shocked a quiet community,” Chaisson said. “I cannot imagine the anguish that Nicole and her young daughter have had to endure over the past year while waiting for this trial to begin.

“Assistant District Attorney Connie Aucoin and the men and women of the St. Charles Parish Sheriffs Office deserve special recognition for their professionalism and the compassionate manner in which they handled the investigation and prosecution of this tragic case.”