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Spiller murder trial jury deliberations begin
Seven years after her death, the jury for local artist activist Susan Spiller’s murder case continues to deliberate on a verdict.
(FOX 9) - It's been nearly seven years since local artist and activist Susan Spiller was found stabbed to death in her own bedroom following an apparent break-in during July of 2015.
Now the jury must deliberate the fate of Demetrious Wynne, who has been charged with her murder.
The jury deliberated for about four hours before wrapping up for the evening Monday, and heading home without a verdict.
The state has argued there is no doubt Wynne, Spillers next door neighbor, killed her. But his defense has countered that there is reasonable doubt all over the case, and prosecutors have the wrong suspect.
Spiller’s friends were in court Monday for closing arguments, and a sense of justice. Ann Moe wore some of the jewelry Spiller created before she was viciously stabbed and strangled to death.
The question the jury must answer is where or not it was Wynne who broke into Spiller’s home. Evidence revealed his fingerprint was a perfect match at the point of entry, and prosecutors claimed DNA was found under Spiller’s fingernails.
But Wynne took the stand in his own defense last week, explaining the reason why his DNA would have been found under Spiller’s fingernails is that he had caught the 68-year-old when she had tripped earlier that day.
During closing arguments Wynne’s defense attorney raised the possibility that police arrested the wrong guy.
"I felt like they were waiting and said he'll be in the system eventually," said attorney Ira Whitlock "You do the best you can for these kids, man, and you let the chips fall where they may. Obviously I'm hoping for such an outcome, but it's in the jury's hands now and I trust our process."
Despite his age of 14 at the time, Wynne was certified as an adult.
"I think everybody knows what a wonderful person Susan was, and then it was really hard to sit in there and hear them try to refute that… it's been a long time coming," Spiller’s friend Connie Beckers said. "I think she left her mark on the community and I think anybody who knows her knows that this it shouldn't have happened."