BUDAPEST, Hungary — A Hungarian court found four men guilty on Tuesday of killing Roma families in a spree of racist violence in 2008 and 2009 that shocked the country and led to accusations that police had failed to protect an historically persecuted minority.

Six Roma were killed and several wounded in the attacks, which created a climate of fear for members of Hungary's largest ethnic minority. Roma, who make up about 7 percent of the population of 10 million, face widespread discrimination and often live in dire poverty.

A Budapest court sentenced three of the perpetrators to life in prison without parole and a fourth to 13 years, also without parole. The courtroom was packed with relatives and news media.

The attacks were carefully planned and carried out over a 13-month period in several places around the country, leaving the nation's Roma terrified while the perpetrators remained on the loose. The trials began in 2011.