Jury Begins Deliberations In Case Of Man Accused Of Murdering Roommate
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — The jury began deliberations Wednesday in the case of a man accused of murdering his roommate, an Iraq war veteran who was days away from graduating from college.
KCAL9's Michele Gile was in the courtroom when both sides presented their closing arguments.
"There's a reason to doubt their evidence," said defense attorney Adam Vining. "There's a big hole on the night of May 2nd. If you think he's involved, what happened?"
KC Joy, a resident of Orange, is accused of murdering his roommate, Maribel Ramos, 36, after an argument about him moving out.
Prosecutors said Joy killed Ramos then buried her body in a shallow grave in Santiago Canyon in 2013.
The coroner's office was unable to establish a cause of death but ruled it a homicide.
In closing arguments, Vining argued since there are so many unanswered questions in the woman's death, his client should be found not guilty.
"She could have died of natural causes," he argued. "It could have been suicide or an accident, and they haven't even proven a homicide."
He said Joy may have panicked and buried her body but did not murder the woman.
Prosecutor Scott Simmons asked the jury if it was reasonable to believe that if Joy found Ramos dead that he would bury her and not tell anyone.
"Does an innocent person take that body and bury 'em out in a canyon?" Simmons argued. "Unreasonable."
He said Joy didn't panic and was a cold and calculating killer.
Ramos' body was found after two weeks. Joy maintained he had no idea where she was throughout her disappearance.
An IT specialist secretly tracked a Google search he made on a computer, and investigators were led to Ramos' decomposing body.
Jurors deliberated for half a day and will return to court Thursday, Gile reported.
RELATED LINKS:
Closing Arguments Set In Iraq War Veteran's Killing
Prosecutors: New Evidence Against Suspect In Murder Of Roommate, An Iraq War Vet
