Bermuda is a safer place now David Jahwell Cox has been convicted of the gangland slaying of Raymond (Yankee) Rawlins, according to police.Cox, 31, was one of two gunmen who shot Mr Rawlins 16 times as he entered a nightclub in his Court Street neighbourhood early last August 9.The jury convicted Cox of the murder by unanimous verdict yesterday. He was also convicted of using a gun to commit the crime, and faces a life sentence.The cold-hearted killer taunted the grieving family of Mr Rawlins, 47, as he was led from Supreme Court by prison guards.In an apparent reference to the fact he was heading to Westgate, where he’s spent prison time before, Cox shouted: “I’m going home. F**k you, you’re all p**sies.”He then made an obscene gesture at bystanders as he was led in handcuffs to a waiting prison van.Detective Chief Inspector Nicholas Pedro told the media: “We’ve put a very dangerous man behind bars. Make no mistake that Bermuda is very much a safer place today with Mr Cox convicted for this murder.“This was a brutal assassination of an unarmed and defenceless man.”He pledged police will continue efforts to bring the second gunman to justice (see separate story.)Mr Rawlins’ brother Kevin told The Royal Gazette the insult hurled at his family by Cox was typical of his nature, and the verdict was the right one.“He deserved everything he got, that’s what I think. He needs hanging for what he done,” he said.Explaining he was going home to spend time with his family, he added: “We need some time together, but none of this will bring Yankee back.”The victim’s sister, Yolanda Dowling, broke down in tears after the verdict and was comforted by relatives and police officers.She later said: “I feel a lot of things. Angry, relieved. He [Cox] did it so I’m so glad he’s been found guilty. It’s not going to bring my brother back, but justice has been served.”Cox was brought to justice thanks to an eyewitness who recognised his face, and damning forensic evidence linking him to the crime. According to prosecutors, the murder was committed by the 42 gang to exact retribution against the Parkside gang for an attack earlier that night on a 42 member.Cox was named by police gang expert Sergeant Alexander Rollin during his trial as a member of 42.He was hanging out at the gang’s Mid Atlantic Boat Club haunt on the night in question when his friend and fellow gang member Julian Washington was shot and injured.Mr Rawlins, a father of nine, was shot dead less than an hour later. According to Sgt Rollin, the victim had links to the Parkside and Middletown gangs, who are locked in a deadly feud with 42.The officer told the jury an act of disrespect against one gang, such as the shooting of Mr Washington, would prompt revenge against a member of the rival gang.The key witness in the prosecution case against Cox was Michael Parsons, who described himself as Cox’s lifelong friend. Mr Parsons was also good friends with Mr Rawlins.The victim was walking into Mr Parsons’ 31st birthday party at the Spinning Wheel nightclub on Court Street when Cox and his accomplice burst in and gunned him down.Mr Parsons was just feet away when Mr Rawlins was murdered.He said although Cox was wearing a rain jacket with the hood pulled down to cover his face, he recognised him by his eyes.Mr Parsons was unable to provide a description of the second gunman, who remains at large.Police praised him after the Cox verdict for having the bravery to come forward.The jury in the case heard the seconds leading up to the murder were captured on CCTV cameras at the Spinning Wheel, although the actual slaying occurred out of shot.The ten women and two men of the panel watched the chilling footage, showing how Cox and his accomplice chased the victim into the club.Expert CCTV analyst Clive Burchett said Cox appeared to be wearing latex gloves and a baseball cap underneath the hood of his jacket.Police officer Terry Trott described how a member of the crowd gathered on Court Street after the shooting pointed him in the direction of a baseball cap.The unknown crowd member stated the cap had been worn by the gunman. Later, forensic tests showed Cox’s DNA was present on the cap, along with gunshot residue.Similar forensic evidence linked him to a latex glove found in trash at a home in the 42 gang’s St Monica’s Road heartland, where Cox admitted to hanging out.The jury also heard evidence from gun expert Dennis McGuire. By examining shells from the scene of Mr Rawlins’ murder, he identified the two guns used.The automatic firearm used by Cox had also been used in five other unsolved shootings including the murders of James Lawes on Dundonald Street in March 2010 and Kimwandae Walker at Victor Scott School playing field in April 2010.The revolver wielded by Cox’s accomplice has been linked to three other shootings, including two attempted murders. It was located by police in December 2010, lying in bushes by a roadside in the 42 gang area.Cox and his accomplice were driven to and from the murder scene in a small green Diahatsu car.This was stolen in the 42 gang area three days earlier, and was found there by police hours after the killing. The getaway driver in the crime also remains at large.Cox, of Club Road, Smith’s, turned himself in to the police in the hours after the murder but protested his innocence throughout the investigation and trial. He has a violent criminal history dating back to his teenage years and, under the current law, faces a minimum of 25 years in jail before he is eligible for release.Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves agreed to a request from defence lawyer John Perry QC to delay the sentencing of Cox, as the law relating to sentences for premeditated murder is the subject of an appeal in another case. Cox was remanded into custody and must return to court for an administrative hearing next month.