A jury has determined that Tamir Hamilton deserves to die for torture and killing of Sparks teen Holly Quick.

The sentence was reached after the jury deliberated for more than six hours.

Hamilton, 30, was found guilty on Tuesday of raping and slashing Quick’s throat on the night of Sept. 14, 2006.

Quick's mother, Patricia Doss, found her daughter's bloody body the next morning, killed in her own bed while Doss slept at the opposite end of the Marina Village apartment they shared in Sparks.

Before the verdict was handed down Friday, Hamilton was allowed to stand with his back to the victim's family and make a statement to them.

"I know I've caused a lot of pain and grief to the family and friends of Holly Quick," Hamilton said in a deep voice. "I took a life. What I've done cannot be explained. I offer my apology. I betrayed a family who accepted me for who I am. I loved this family and I am very, very sorry."

Hamilton expressed his hope that someday, Quick's family will forgive him.

“Whatever (the verdict) is it won’t bring Holly back,” Quick’s stepfather Larry Doss said before the verdict.

“Now we can continue our process of healing from this great loss,” Quick’s uncle Mike Glenn said reading a statement on behalf of Quick’s family. “We cannot tell you that everything is allright or that it ever will be. What we can tell you is that because of you (the jury), we are a little better.

“The matter of justice has been settled,” Glenn also said. “We are extremely grateful to the jurors for their efforts in discerning the truth about our Holly and Mr. Hamilton.”

Quick was described as a beautiful, loving girl with a bright smile and sharp wit, who loved to sing and spend time with her nephews. She attended Spanish Springs High School.

In closing arguments, the District Attorney's Office explained to the jury several different penalties, the facts of the case and why it Hamilton should be given the death penalty.

Deputy District Attorney Luke Prengaman brought four arguments before the jury that, if they agreed with him, would allow for consideration of the death penalty. Hamilton was convicted in 2001 of attempted robbery and felony battery with a deadly weapon charges against a Las Vegas couple. Hamilton was also found guilty of a felony sexual assault against a University of Nevada, Reno student in 2007.

The prosecution also pointed out that Hamilton tortured or mutilated Quick with a knife with a calculated intent to inflict pain beyond her fatal neck-slashing wounds causing her death. In addition, Hamilton was found to have raped Quick before he killed her.

"I submit to the jury, actions speak louder than words," Prengaman said in closing arguments. He told the jury that "the appropriate sentence on this case, at this time, for this defendant, Tamir Hamilton, is death."

Prengaman reminded the jury that pathologist Dr. Ellen Clark said a long period of time was needed to inflict the injuries that Quick sustained, and that they would have been painful.

Attorneys with the Public Defender's Office spoke of Hamilton's harsh childhood, being raised in the ghetto of south-central Los Angeles by an alcoholic father who beat his mother, and a mother who was a drug addict and beat and neglected her son.

Defense talked of how Hamilton was born prematurely and already addicted to the drug PCP, and bouncing between foster care and a group home located in the central of the chaotic and deadly Watts Riots of 1992 after being removed from his mother's care.

Defense attempted to elicit sympathy from the jury as they spoke of Hamilton's childhood and, later in his life, his paranoid schizophrenia, a severe mental illness that often results in violence.

“To the previous victims of this evil monster, Tamir Hamilton, we feel your pain and are very sorry you have had to go through this,” the Quick family’s statement also said. “We cannot thank you enough for reliving your nightmares in front of a crowded courtroom to help the jury understand what a predator Tamir is, to help us obtain justice for Holly. May you will be able to someday heal from the pain and fear he has inflicted upon you.”

The Quick family also thanked Prengaman, the Sparks Police Department, the Washoe County Crime Lab, the victim’s advocate and others.

“This is one of the most brutal cases in the city of Sparks affecting anyone, let alone a 16-year-old child,” Sparks Police Det. Steve Asher said after the verdict. “The decision that was handed down today is a just sentence,” he added.

“We hope this can be a time that we can forget about the bad stuff and start remembering the good memories about Holly,” said Tom Quick, the father of the victim “The last two weeks have been grueling and it will be hard to forget the autopsy photos.”

“What we really want for Tamir is to repent,” Quick’ uncle Glenn said, adding to the family’s written statement. “One day when you are standing before The Creator, there will be no lawyers and no jury.”