Alvarez gets life without parole

Ty Romero, 54, sat in the front row as the verdict was read. His uncle, Leonard Romero, was headed to work on the morning of the derailment with one train stop left on his route before he died in the derailment.

“I am conflicted,” Ty Romero said. “I am relieved he is never going to breathe fresh air again, but it’s never going to bring my uncle back.”

Todd McKeoun attended nearly every court session, despite working all night as a tow-truck driver. His brother, Scott McKeoun, died on Metrolink train No. 100.

“I respect the decision they made,” Todd McKeoun said. “It brought closure to a painful time in my life and in my family’s life.”

Scott McKeoun is survived by his wife, Susan, and two children, Ashley, 11, and Brice, 9, his brother said.

“I am OK with it,” Susan McKeoun said of the jury’s decision. “Main thing for me was that they found him guilty.”

In prison, Alvarez will have plenty of time to ponder over what he did, she said.

Glendale police Chief Randy Adams, surrounded by other public safety officials, reflected a sense of relief that jurors finally reached a conclusion after an incident he said was “the worst in Glendale history.”

“I’m glad to see we finally have some closure,” Adams said. “It’s a tremendous relief this is done.

Asked if he thought the verdict was fair, Adams said, “the jury has spoken.”