By Preston Jones, Ashli Lincoln
Jury deliberations began at 12:07 pm
Quick Facts:
- The defense rested in Betty Shelby’s trial Tuesday, closing arguments took place Wednesday morning
- Shelby is charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of Terence Crutcher
Wednesday morning people lined up to get into the courtroom:
Line is already forming outside of the courtroom for the #BettyShelbyTrial. Closing arguments are expected to begin this morning at 9 a.m.
Shelby shot Crutcher in September of 2016. Her defense argued the shooting was justified.
After two days of jury selection and several days of testimony, the jurors heard closing arguments to Wednesday morning. The jury received 32 instructions before deliberations.
The charge she faces, first degree manslaughter, which is in the heat of passion, requires a jury to find that: the death of a human, caused by defendant, was not excusable or justifiable and was in the heat of passion at the time of death.
According to the instructions, the jury must consider charges based on what happened at the time of the shooting, not after.
The State
The state focused on the “why” questions in the case for their closing arguments. District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said the jury needed to ask:
- Why two officers had guns, while another did not
- Why Shelby put away her gun after the shooting
- Was Crutcher reaching for something
- Why Shelby said she had “never been so scared in [her] life”.
- Why Shelby saw dash cam video before her homicide detective interview
- Why officers told her not to talk on the scene
- Why officers were not asking what happened
Kunzweiler said the defense used the spotlight to blame him, and, though he could handle it, he asked the jury not to be distracted and focus only on what happened Sept. 16.
The Defense
Defense attorneys brought out the door of Crutcher’s SUV during their closing, said the DA filed charges too quickly and called his actions hypocritical during the trial.
They said the DA uses law enforcement in court, but criticizes them, failing to educate the jury on what police officers do, that the jury couldn’t judge on their own.
Attorneys said Kunzweiler fought 911 callers’ tapes in the trial because they showed others feared Crutcher that day.
They also argued that if Shelby waited to shoot, he could have theoretically killed her. They reiterated that Crutcher ignored repeated commands. While death is tragic, they argued, it is not always a crime.
Kunzweiler’s case was criticized, the defense saying all the state could do was say Shelby was angry while she challenged a course.
FOX23 has a team in the courtroom to get the latest updates- download the FOX23 News app for instant alerts as the verdict is reached.
