Jury Deliberating in Wyant Trial
By: Ashley Zilka
Updated: December 6, 2012
The trial of the Brighton man accused of fatally shooting his former roommate could bring back a verdict Thursday.
A jury is now deliberating the fate of Maxwell Wyant, who is charged with murder in the death of C.J Schoen last February. Various pieces of evidence were presented, including a video taken by an investigator of the scene in the house where Schoen died. The video shows 14 guns inside the home. During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Michael Harrigan said Wyant hated Schoen and intended to kill him.
"Intent can be formed in an instant so that's something that I don't think necessarily know or have to know. I do believe it's intent. I believe his intent was in an instant and I also believe he had intent before he did this," Harrigan said.
But the defense argued that Wyant was protecting himself from Schoen after he broke in and was high on drugs/bath salts. In addition, attorney James Nobles said the prosecution's witnesses had contradicted themselves and weren't reliable.
"We believed that since the beginning and I think it's a good case. I think it's a classic case of self-defense and I think the jury instruction is largely going to go in our favor," Nobles said.
The judge stated that he is prepared to keep the jury until 8 p.m.
A jury is now deliberating the fate of Maxwell Wyant, who is charged with murder in the death of C.J Schoen last February. Various pieces of evidence were presented, including a video taken by an investigator of the scene in the house where Schoen died. The video shows 14 guns inside the home. During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Michael Harrigan said Wyant hated Schoen and intended to kill him.
"Intent can be formed in an instant so that's something that I don't think necessarily know or have to know. I do believe it's intent. I believe his intent was in an instant and I also believe he had intent before he did this," Harrigan said.
But the defense argued that Wyant was protecting himself from Schoen after he broke in and was high on drugs/bath salts. In addition, attorney James Nobles said the prosecution's witnesses had contradicted themselves and weren't reliable.
"We believed that since the beginning and I think it's a good case. I think it's a classic case of self-defense and I think the jury instruction is largely going to go in our favor," Nobles said.
The judge stated that he is prepared to keep the jury until 8 p.m.
