Prosecution Closing (Jayson Williamson)

I want you to picture yourself with your best friend. You both decide to see the big Forth
of July firewor display across town. !oon enough the firewors begin. "ut# instead of seeing
brilliant colors in the sy# you see your best friend shot down# taing four carefully aimed shots
to the head and chest. Immediately you loo away from your friend$s# cold and lifeless body#
only find the cruel wiced person behind the trigger% (&ae a pause) 'adies and (entleman# we
are here today because on July )# *++, -r..-rs. 'arsen heartlessly murdered Jamie Frosh. /s
the prosecution# we ha0e the burden of proof# meaning it is our responsibility to pro0e to you#
beyond a reasonable doubt# that the defendant committed murder.
&o find the defendant guilty of murder# we must show that he.she illed Frosh with
malice aforethought# meaning that he.she had the intent of illing another human being# and that
the illing was premeditated# meaning he.she planned out the method of illing that person.
'et$s loo at the testimony we heard today1
2. The defendant had malice aforethought. &he defendant states that on numerous
occasions in the past# he.she had threatened to ill the 0ictim someday. 3n the day of the
murder# 4ust hours before the incident# the defendant pointed his finger at Jamie$s head# as if to
shoot him with a pistol in !chneider$s restaurant. &he defendant hated Jamie Frosh and decided
to murder him# doing so later that e0ening.
*. The defendant deliberately premeditated the murder. /fter o0erhearing a
con0ersation between the 0ictim and /le5 Coffman# the defendant went to his house and grabbed
the murder weapon# an easily concealed and powerful firearm. &he defendant planned on illing
Frosh with that particular weapon# which had been cleaned and oiled within the last *) hours. /s
you heard from 6etecti0e Wallace# the location in which the illing too place also implies
careful planning. Where better to a0oid anyone from hearing your gunshots than at a Fourth of
Prosecution Closing (Jayson Williamson)
July firewors display7 In the con0ersation the defendant o0erheard# the 0ictim said he would be
sitting near the picnic tables. "ut instead of a0oiding -r. Frosh# the defendant chose to sit in a
strategic location a few feet away from the 0ictim. &he defendant sat only thirty feet away from
the 0ictim# as far away as I am from you right now (point and motion with hands). Pure hatred
toward the 0ictim# and the fact the defendant belie0ed Jamie had hindered his.her chances at
getting a 4ob# ser0ed as moti0ations.
8. The defendant did not have a diminished capacity and fully understood what
he/she was doing. 6r. Piltch# a highly 9ualified and e5perienced psychologist# speciali:ing in
combat stress and P&!6# personally assessed the defendant before he.she was discharged from
the -arines and determined that the defendant did not ha0e P&!6. !he does not belie0e the
defendant was suffering from any illnesses on July ) either. &he other ey element of the
defense$s claim is the supposed hallucination. &he defendant claims to ha0e seen do:ens of Ira9i
insurgents attac him.her. 6espite being a trained 0eteran soldier# only the deceased Jamie Frosh
was shot# out of the supposed se0eral do:en insurgents. &hat single person was shot ) times in
the head and chest# signaling careful and deliberate aim. &he defendant had no hallucination and
meant to murder Jamie Frosh.
It was not a mistae# it was murder;