3:30 p.m.: Defense gives closing statement

May 20, 2008 03:32 pm

— Jason Childers, defense attorney for accused murderer Jesse Lee Pitts, reminded jurors of their charge and criticized the prosecution's case as the defense presnted its closing arguments.
“Amanda’s death was tragic,” Childers said. “But this case is not about whether you like Jesse Pitts, it’s not about whether you think he’s a nice guy. He’s not on trial for being friends with someone younger than him. This trial is about on thing: has the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that jesse killed Amanda Brinker.”
Throughout his closing statement, Childers insisted it had not. He pointed out that no fingerprints could be recovered from the alleged murder weapon, that Anderson Police Department lab experts were in Ohio at the time the body was discovered and that the closest thing to an eyewitness, a man at the park that day, never positively identified Pitts.
Instead, Childers suggested that Pitts assisted police by making the initial 911 call, guiding them to his bloodied shirt and the alleged murder weapon. He added that police had ruled out other leads prematurely, ignoring a bicycle near the crime scene and allowing an unauthorized person onto the crime scene.
“Jesse made mistakes, he told stories,” Childers said. “The state wants you to make believe that because he told stories he knowlingly or intentionally killed Amanda. He told stories because he was scared and he was panicked.”
The jury is expected to return a verdict this afternoon.