The jury in the trial of two people accused of the second degree murder of Limerick man Jason Corbett in North Carolina has begun its deliberations.
Thomas Martens, 67, and his 33-year-old daughter Molly Martens-Corbett are charged with second-degree murder over the death of Mr Corbett, 39, at his home in Wallburg, North Carolina on 2 August 2015.
Both have pleaded not guilty to those charges, claiming self-defence.
Closing arguments for both the defence and prosecution were heard earlier today.
David Freedman and Jones Byrd said that the prosecution did not prove their case against Mr Martens. They also presented their client, a retired FBI agent, as an American patriot and hero.
Mr Freedman told the court said "evidence corroborates what Tom Martens said on the stand."
He contrasted the decorated career of Mr Martens to a man he portrayed as someone who used alcohol to cope with his instability.
"Who is more likely to snap, a 65-year-old grandfather who spent his life protecting this country from drug dealers or a man who, out of his own mouth, stopped taking his thyroid medicine … and gets angry for no reason?" Mr Freedman asked.
"What could be better than creating problems for yourself and dealing with those problems by drinking seven or eight beers while looking after your 8-year-old?"
Mr Freedman discussed the prosecution's insistence that Mr Martens was calm throughout.
"He was calm," Mr Freedman said. "He was a calm guy … Jason made himself a ticking time bomb by not taking care of himself. Why would he throw away his life to take out a man with a little-league baseball bat?" Mr Freedman asked.
Yesterday afternoon, lawyers for Ms Martens-Corbett questioned the evidence presented by the prosecution.
They also demonstrated a number of theories in the case for the jury.
The jury were told by Walter Holton that they could believe any or none of the arguments he presented, but if even one seemed reasonable, they must acquit the defendants.
"If you find a reasonable doubt, your job is done," he said. "You only need one."
Davidson County Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin concluded closing arguments for the prosecution by demonstrating for the jury the violent nature of the acts committed on the night Mr Corbett died, and then addressed Mr Freedman's portrayal of his client.
"They beat him to the point his injuries were similar to those in falls from great heights and car crashes," Mr Martin recalled from previous testimony.
"Jason Corbett is not here to tell you where they beat him, but his blood tells you," he said.
In another demonstration, fellow Assistant District Attorney Greg Brown laid face down on the courtroom carpet as Mr Martin mimicked the movements of assault in the incident with dry swings of the bat.
Mr Martin argued what he considered the frailty of the defense's case.
"The defense would have you believe their case hangs by a single strand of hair," referencing the hair in Mr Corbett's hand, which the defence said was undocumented evidence.
Questioning the veracity of Mr Martens's statement he called 911 two minutes after Mr Corbett collapsed, Mr Martin suggested dried blood offered contradictory evidence to the testimony.
Mr Martin also turned his attention toward Mr Freedman's closing statement. Acknowledging the attempts by the defence to highlight the nature of his work, he spoke briefly of Mr Martens's work experience.
"Mr Martens, thank you for your service," Mr Martin said. "Now let's get back to the case."
Directing his comments to the jury, he said Mr Martens was no longer an FBI agent. Instead, he explained, the state would suggest he murdered a man.
