MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – After hours of deliberation Friday afternoon in the trial for the man who is charged with killing Armada teen April Millsap, the jury asked for a review of key exhibits.
Closing arguments went for more than two hours before the jury was given instructions and a lunch break.
The jury asked specifically to see the surveillance video from the gas station, the helmet, the dirt bike and the cell phone animation.
The review will begin Monday morning and jury deliberations will continue.
Millsap was walking her dog on the Macomb Orchard Trail in July 2014 when she was killed. Her body was found a few feet off the trail by a passerby. Witnesses said they saw her talking to a man on a motorcycle. Police said they believe she was beaten with a motorcycle helmet.
Prosecutor William Cataldo said said VanCallis "without reason or shame" killed Millsap. He pointed to the witnesses who said they saw VanCallis on the trail and brought up VanCallis' mugshot side-by-side with a composite sketch a witness created with police. He said the sketch matches the picture.
Special section: Tragedy on the Trail - the April Millsap murder case
VanCallis is facing murder, kidnapping and criminal sexual assault charges. His attorney, Azhar Sheikh, said the prosecution used "desperation tactics" because there is no DNA evidence linking him to the crime. VanCallis chose not to testify during the trial.
Sheikh told the jury he questioned the witnesses' ability to positively identify VanCallis as the man on the motorcyle because most of his face would have been covered by the helmet - and he would have been passing them at a fast rate of speed. He also said VanCallis has been consistent with his story to police about where he was when Millsap was killed. He said there has been no evidence shown that discredits his story.
Sheikh asked the jury to not make a decision based on hysteria.
“We can sit here and look at the brutality of this crime, look at Mrs. Millsap, and we can relate as Mr. Cataldo said, ‘This could be your daughter or anybody’s daughter in Armada or anything,’ but the lack of evidence. The lack of evidence tying in this brutality to this person,” Sheikh said.
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