Two British holidaymakers in Florida allegedly gunned down by a teenager trying to rob them had begged to be let go and return home, a court has heard.
The men, who were holidaying with Cooper's family, drunkenly stumbled into the public housing project known as The Courts.
They were found shirtless and with their trousers round their thighs after being shot several times.
Shawn Tyson, 17, denies two counts of first-degree murder and, if convicted, faces life in jail without parole.
The men were on holiday with Cooper's family and had been out for a meal in central Sarasota.
In the early hours of April 16 they left a nightclub called the Gator Club and walked into the project.
At the opening of his trial yesterday, prosecutor Ed Brodsky said the case was "about two different sets of boys, men, who seized opportunities".
He said witnesses have linked bullet casings matching those that killed the men to Tyson, and Tyson's DNA was found on Cooper's jeans.
The court heard that Kouzaris, from Northampton, and Cooper, from Hampton Lucy, Warwick, were found on opposite sites of the street, shirtless and with their trousers pulled down.
Cooper had been shot four times, and his friend had been shot twice in the back, both by bullets were from a 0.22 calibre gun.
But both still had their wallet and money - Cooper had $63.45 while Kouzaris had $62.05 - and the former also had his mobile phone and camera.
Brodsky said Tyson had boasted about shooting the Britons after trying to rob them, describing how they had pleaded with him.
He said Tyson told one witness: "He and another male saw the two men as they walked by and they decided to rob them.
"When Shawn Tyson, he tells her, when he confronts the victims they plead with Shawn Tyson to let them go, that they were drunk and that they were just trying to find their way home.
"They then tell Shawn Tyson that they don't have any money to give him."
The prosecutor said Tyson boasted that he said: "Well, since you ain't got no money then I have something for your ass!", then began shooting them both.
Police investigators later found seven 0.22 calibre casings buried in a nearby yard, and a search of Tyson's
bedroom on the evening of April 16 found a 0.22 calibre bullet.
Witnesses described seeing the men drunkenly staggering down the street, and also seeing two black men watching them.
But Tyson's defence attorney Carolyn Schlemmer said Tyson did not commit the murders.
She said no murder weapon was ever recovered, and bullet casings found could not be linked directly to Tyson.
"You will hear about several witnesses and you are going to hear a lot, you will hear about their deals, their
benefits, what they got from this case, promises made to them.
"You will hear pressures and threats used against these witnesses by the Sarasota Police Department and the State's Attorney's Office."
The court was shown a range of pictures of the crime scene, including those of the victims' dead bodies.
Detective John Todd, from the Sarasota police department, said some witnesses had not wanted to "snitch" on their friend.
"This is a very tight group, they were all friends. They all lived in a very tight-knit small community and they were friends."
He said he threatened one witness, Jermaine Bane, because he was trying to get across the seriousness of the situation.
In a recorded police interview shown to the court Tyson, then 16, said he was in the house at the time of the shooting.
He said: "I was in the house the whole time and she (his mother) knew I was in the house."
Kouzaris and Cooper's family were not in court for the start of the trial, but friends Paul Davies and Joe Hallett were present.
The trial continues on Friday when witnesses will include Wanda Farrior, who lived opposite Tyson and saw him climbing back through his window after the shooting, and Bane, who it is claimed is giving evidence as part of a plea deal.