ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- An Orange County jury convicted two illegal immigrants Friday of kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old girl. The 12-year-old, who was eleven at the time, was on her way to school in February when she was grabbed off the street at knife-point.

The two men who were accused of raping the girl could go to prison for the rest of their lives. Life is the most serious sentence they could face under Florida law, but both will spend at least 25 years.

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IMAGES: Rapists In Court

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The 12-year-old victim was not in the courtroom for the verdict.

“We the jury find the defendant guilty,” read a juror.

The jury found the men guilty (see images) on nine counts against the two illegal immigrants, after two and a half hours of deliberations.

The jury's guilty verdicts were exactly what Orange County Sheriff's Sergeant Rich Mankewich, who led the investigation against them, wanted to hear.

“I initially talked to the victim at the hospital, just hearing her story was overwhelming. These guys are animals. They need to be locked up for the rest of their lives,” Mankewich said.

Richard Morales-Marin was actually playful in court before testifying Thursday that he thought the sixth-grader was a prostitute. Even though the 12-year-old was bundled up in cold weather clothes. Morales-Marin smirked when he saw co-defendant, Juan Hernandez-Monzalvo crying.

But Friday their convictions brought no laughs or tears. They did bring a sense of satisfaction to Assistant State Attorney Linda Drane-Burdick on her twentieth anniversary as a prosecutor.

Hernandez-Monzalvo tried to get his taxpayer-paid lawyers to deport him again, before the trial and wanted to replace them because they wouldn't help him with that.

Eyewitness News asked both men as they headed to jail what they had to say for themselves.

Hernandez-Monzalvo said he wanted to apologize to the girl and her family.

Morales-Marin said he had no comment, but would talk to WFTV at the jail.

The men will be sentenced in three months.