Grand Haven — Jurors began deliberation Wednesday in the murder trial of Troy Brake, who is charged with killing MSU student Katherine A. Brown and three others.
The defense only took Wednesday afternoon to state its case, after the prosecution finished its weeklong argument Wednesday morning.
Brake is on trial in Ottawa County’s 20th Circuit Court in connection with the slayings of Brown, 18; her boyfriend Jeremy Zimmer, 20; his mother Sharmaine Zimmer, 53; and his brother Tyler Zimmer, 17. All were found dead in the Zimmer home Sept. 29, 2008. Brake was charged with four counts of open murder and three felony firearm charges.
In Brake’s defense, attorney Paul McDonagh said the case had several problems, including uninvestigated tips, the length of time it took to find a suspect and pressure on detectives to close the case, among other problems.
“Those are areas of reasonable doubt, and you only need one of them,” he said to the jury.
Prosecutor Ronald Frantz maintained throughout the trial Brake was the person who killed Brown and the Zimmers by showing evidence that police said directly linked Brake to the crime. The evidence included a weapon found in Brake’s home that matched the one used at the scene of the crime and establishing a pattern of hatred toward women, among other things.
The jury can take as long as it needs Wednesday evening or choose to adjourn for the day.
For more on this story, check Thursday’s edition of The State News and statenews.com for updates.
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