PICTOU, N.S. -- A conviction in the slaying of Amber Kirwan cannot erase the pain still felt by her loved ones, the Crown said Tuesday as the young woman's killer was found guilty of first-degree murder.

A jury convicted Christopher Alexander Falconer on the second day of deliberations at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Pictou following three weeks of testimony.

Family members sat silently and Kirwan's mother dabbed her eyes with a tissue as Falconer, 31, was given an automatic sentence of life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years.

"Their sense of relief I believe was palpable, but this is a tragedy that I don't think they'll ever get past," Crown attorney Bill Gorman said after the verdict.

Falconer, a stocky, bespectacled man, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Kirwan. The 19-year-old aspiring nurse vanished after leaving a pool hall in New Glasgow on Oct. 9, 2011.

Her naked, bound remains were discovered face down in a clandestine grave about a month later in nearby Heathbell.

Falconer pleaded guilty in a separate case to second-degree murder as a teenager for strangling a cab driver in 1998. He was 15 at the time of that murder, but was ordered to stand trial as an adult. He was granted full parole after serving 12 years in prison.

Falconer did not react when the verdict was read. His parents, sitting two rows behind him, sighed heavily. They declined comment outside court.

Kirwan's mother, Marjorie Kirwan, was asked by a reporter whether she was pleased with the verdict.

"Very," she replied, before retreating to a private room with her family.

Despite the conviction, there are a number of questions that remain unanswered, including how Kirwan was abducted, where she was killed and when.

There's also the question of why Falconer killed Kirwan, a woman he told police he had never met. Gorman suggested during the trial that it was simply for "fun."

Defence lawyer Mike Taylor said he believes the jury's decision was fair but it came as somewhat of a surprise to his client.

"Obviously I would've preferred for Mr. Falconer that it was different, but the evidence was there and I can see them reaching the conclusion that they reached," Taylor said.

"He's disappointed, obviously. I think he was thinking that there was a decent chance of acquittal because of the time that they were taking."

Falconer was arrested in connection with Kirwan's murder in May 2012 at the Dorchester Institution in New Brunswick where he was serving time after pleading guilty to weapons and drug offences. His parole had been revoked that February.

His criminal record was not presented as evidence before the jury.

During the trial, the victim's boyfriend, Mason Campbell, testified that he was supposed to pick up Kirwan at a convenience store the night she went missing, but she never arrived.

The province's chief medical examiner told the court that Kirwan bled to death after being stabbed at least 10 times, including once through her heart. The Crown was unable to produce a murder weapon.

Dr. Matthew Bowes said Kirwan was able to mount a vigorous defence against her attacker, despite high levels of codeine in her system, leaving her with defensive wounds on her hands.

But Bowes said her body was too decomposed to determine when she died.

The defence had argued the Crown's case was largely circumstantial, saying none of Falconer's DNA was found on Kirwan or in the camper where the Crown alleged the woman was held before she was killed.

Taylor said it was too soon to consider an appeal in the case, but added that "an appeal of a jury decision is extremely difficult."