A homicide case that began with the discovery of a partially decomposed body on the North Shore nearly five years ago ended yesterday with the murder conviction of Anthony Mercado.

A Circuit Court jury found Mercado guilty of second-degree murder in the slaying of Percy Baker, 61, at Baker's Sunset Beach home in May 2004.

Baker's body was found in his bed, tightly wrapped in a blanket. He had been stabbed in the heart and the back.

Mercado, a homeless acquaintance of Baker's, acknowledged smoking ice in Baker's home the evening of the murder but denied responsibility for the crime.

Mercado testified that the victim had made unwanted sexual advances toward him that night and several weeks earlier.

Witnesses testified that Mercado admitted to them that he killed Baker.

Mercado faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Circuit Judge Richard Perkins set sentencing for May 20.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Darrell J.K. Wong represented the state. Mercado was represented by defense lawyer Jeffrey Arakaki.