A jury has found Orange Amir Taylor III, a former student at Eastern Michigan University, guilty of murdering Laura Dickinson in her dormitory room there, The Ann Arbor News reported this afternoon.

The jurors in Washtenaw County Trial Court deliberated for just four and a half hours before they returned guilty verdicts on all four counts against Mr. Taylor: first-degree murder, assault with intent to commit rape, home invasion, and larceny.

Eastern Michigan has faced fierce criticism in the case, mainly for misleading its students, Ms. Dickinson’s family, and the public about her suspicious death. Three administrators, including the president, lost their jobs; the Education Department fined the university for violating campus crime-reporting laws; and Eastern Michigan reached a $2.5-million settlement to avoid litigation with the Dickinson family.

This was the second trial for Mr. Taylor, whose first resulted in a deadlocked jury. His lawyer later withdrew from the case.

This time, a court-appointed lawyer presented a similar defense, trying to account for a drop of Mr. Taylor’s semen found on Ms. Dickinson’s body and video footage of him leaving her dormitory with one of her bags. Mr. Taylor did not kill Ms. Dickinson, his lawyer said. He discovered her dead body, masturbated, and stole some of her belongings.

At this trial, no one on the jury was convinced of that story. Mr. Taylor will be sentenced next month, The Ann Arbor News reported. He could face life in prison without parole.

His family plans to appeal the verdict, Mr. Taylor’s brother told the local newspaper. “The word ‘guilty’ is a very big word,” he said.

The university expressed support for the Dickinsons in a brief statement about the verdict. “We hope this provides the closure the family has sought.” —Sara Lipka