CLEVELAND, Ohio – A federal court jury today found Antun Lewis guilty of setting a blaze in 2005 that killed a woman and eight children -- the deadliest house fire in the city’s history.

The conviction of the small-time drug dealer was the second time he was found guilty of arson resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The first trial in 2011 also resulted in a conviction, but was overturned by U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver Jr., who found some of the prosecution’s witnesses unreliable.

An audible gasp pierced the solemn courtroom as the verdict was read, bringing an admonition from the judge to the standing-room-only gallery to control their emotions and maintain decorum.

After the eight women and four men of the jury were polled, confirming their verdicts, the father of one of the victims, Miles Golden, spoke up:

“Juror Number 13, is that your verdict?” -- a reference to Oliver, who referred to himself as the 13th juror in the first Lewis trial when he overturned the verdict.

Golden immediately exited the courtroom.

Oliver scheduled sentencing for March 18.

Lewis, 29, of Cleveland, remained stone-faced as the verdict was read. His lawyers expressed their disagreement with the jury’s findings.

“We truly believe that the charges in this case were so horrific, with the deaths of the children and the mother, that the community wanted to hold someone responsible, in spite of what the evidence showed,” said defense attorney Angelo Lonardo.

“Antun Lewis had no reason to hurt anyone in that home, and he loved those children,” Lonardo said.

Lewis did not testify at the first trial, but decided to take the witness stand in his own defense last week. He insisted he was innocent, but the outcome was the same as before -- this time requiring less than a day of deliberations as opposed to 2011, when the jury took nearly two days to convict him.

U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach expressed gratitude for a just conclusion to what he called “one of the most tragic cases in the history of Cleveland.”

“I’d like to recognize the families of the victims for their grace, for their dignity, for their compassion, and for their persistence while waiting over the years to finally receive this closure of justice,” Dettelbach said.

Assistant Cleveland Police Chief Ed Tomba, who was in charge of the investigation, said, “It’s been a long time coming. For those survivors left behind this brings a bit of closure, although obviously it’s not going to bring back the victims.”

On the night of May 21, 2005, Medeia Carter, 33, hosted a birthday sleepover for four of her children and four other youngsters ranging in ages from 7 to 15 at her home on East 87th Street. But as they all slept, someone broke into the house, poured gasoline and lit a match.

Lewis once lived in the house, and acknowledged knowing Carter and several of the children. But he denied starting the fire or of having a motive to hurt anyone in the house.

He was contradicted by the prosecution’s lead witness, an ex-con named Marion Jackson, 63, who testified that he accompanied Lewis to the home that night, acted as a lookout, and witnessed the house go up in flames.

Several witnesses testified that Lewis drove at a high speed to the home of a friend shortly after the fire started at 3 a.m., and that the van reeked of gasoline.