The fate of accused killer Erick Walker is now in the hands of the jury. Deliberations for the murder of 15-year-old Molly Conley will begin Friday morning.
In closing arguments Thursday, both sides tried to convince the jury.
Prosecutor Ed Stemler went step by step through the evidence he said ties Walker, 28, to the murder and drive-by shooting spree.
"The person who did all of these crimes is sitting right there and his name is Erick Walker, the defendant in this case," said Stemler.
Stemler reinforced witness statements that the bullet was shot out of car. He read from the transcript of the interview between detectives and Walker. In the taped interview, first Walker said he was never in Lake Stevens the night of June 1, 2013, later he said he did drive out there the night Conley was killed. Stemler said the timeline shows, "He had time to kill Molly Conley."
Forensic evidence ties the bullets from the other drive-by shooting scenes to guns owned by the defendant. He also showed photographs of damage to Walker's car and showed how it matched damaged done to a parked car in Marysville during the shooting spree that spanned the night of June 1, 2013, to early morning hours of June 2, 2013. "You know beyond a reasonable doubt the same person who fired shots is the same person who killed Conley," said Stemler.
The defense knew it would be hard to counter the emotional impact of Conley's murder. The 15-year-old was a freshman at Seattle's Bishop Blanchet High School. She was was celebrating her birthday with friends, walking along a road in Lake Stevens when she was shot in the neck. Her family and friends filled the courtroom, hoping for justice.
"Who could not feel sympathy for people who have suffered such a tragic loss," said defense attorney Mark Mestel in his closing argument.
"Are you feeling bad Erick's parents might lose him?" asked Mestel. But he reminded the jury they cannot consider sympathy, only the evidence presented in the case. "I can't prove someone didn't do something," said Mestel. He said the evidence does not connect Walker to the murder. He criticized the prosecution for only presenting evidence that helped their case. According to Mestel, the re-creation using Walkers car, a gun, and model the same height as Conley, was used to plant an image in the minds and to illicit emotion.
The jury will being deliberations Friday morning. They will rule on 10 counts -- one is the murder of Conley, the other nine are connected to the drive-by shooting spree. Jurors will also be given the option to convict Walker of manslaughter. The minimum sentence for first degree murder is 20 years.