A jury has found Daniel St. Hubert guilty of fatally stabbing 6-year-old PJ Avitto and stabbing and injuring his friend, Mikayla Capers, then 7, in an East New York elevator in June 2014.

The boy's mother thanked God and applauded the jury's decision.

"PJ can now rest in peace, and Mikayla can now live her life to the fullest as best she can," Aricka McClinton said.

Prosecutors say he stabbed both children as they were on their way to get ice cream on a summer night. 

St. Hubert went to trial on three charges -- murder, attempted murder and assault. He said nothing as he heard the verdict after two days of deliberations.

"It is impossible to fathom that someone would brutally stab small, innocent children," District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said through a spokesman. "But the evidence established beyond any doubt that the defendant committed this heinous crime and he has now been held responsible."

The girl survived the attack and testified at trial, telling the courtroom that St. Hubert was the "bad man" who almost killed her. St. Hubert's defense attorney repeated called her a liar, prompting outrage from her relatives.

"We are always proud of Mikayla," her great-grandmother said. "She's not a liar. She's a typical 11-year-old."

Howard Greenberg, St. Hubert's defense lawyer, said he plans to file an appeal.

"I think their emotional reaction overthrew them," he said of the jurors. "This verdict will, in my humble opinion, be reversed on appeal."

Sentencing is set for May 15. St. Hubert faces up to life in prison.