A Nebraska man was convicted this week of killing his 5- and 3-year-old children in 2021, smothering them an then staging their bodies to look like they were sleeping.

A Sarpy County jury deliberated for just over two hours before returning the guilty verdicts on two counts of first degree murder for 38-year-old Adam Lee Price, Law&Crime reported.

Emily, 5, and Theodore Price, 3, were staying with their father in May 2021, as CrimeOnline previously reported. Their bodies were found when a neighbor walked into Price’s unlocked home on the morning of May 16, 2021, at the request of their mother, Mary Nielsen, who said she hadn’t heard from Price or the children in a few days.

Police had gone to the house twice before the discovery but saw no reason to go inside either time and left.

After killing the children,Price had absconded to California, where he was captured that evening, a 24-hour car drive away from Sarpy County.

According to Law&Crime, Price admitted to killing the children under interrogation by police and told investigators he “would do it again.”

Sentencing is scheduled for May 6, when he faces up to life in prison without parole.

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[Featured image: Emily Price, Mary Nielson, and Theodore Price/GoFundMe]