A jury has found an Elizabeth man guilty of targeting couples staying at motels along Routes 1 and 9, pointing a gun at them to force them into sex and hand over their belongings, prosecutors said.

Rasheed Powell, 42, had been charged with 60 crimes including several counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault and burglary, robbery and weapons charges, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release on Tuesday.

On Friday, the jury found him guilty on all 60 counts after an eight-week trial and three and a half days of deliberation.

Powell faces up to life in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for May 4.

Between March and April 2012, at the Swan and the Benedict (now called the Bentley) motels in Linden, as well as the Royal Motel and the Spring Lake Motel in Elizabeth, Powell would stalk couples as they entered their rooms, prosecutors said.

When they opened the door, he would force his way inside and order them to perform sexual acts on each other as he watched. Then, authorities said, he'd lock the man in the bathroom so he could sexually assault the woman.

Two of the incidents happened at the Swan Motel on Route 9 in Linden.

Authorities used DNA and other forensic evidence to identify Powell as a suspect in the case. With his identity known, Powell was arrested on April 16, 2012, when he showed up to the Springfield Municipal Court for a traffic summons.

Eight victims testified at the trial, along with the detectives who had worked on the case.

"The victims demonstrated great courage and fortitude in reliving these awful events through their painful testimony," acting Prosecutor Michael Monahan said in the release.

The verdict covers four of six incidents involving the sexual assault of couples at motels, and Powell is awaiting trial on the other two. He has been held on $3 million bail in state prison, where he is also serving time on other crimes.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips