TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A man accused of murdering a Tallahassee mother and her three young children has been on trial for 12 days -- and now, a jury will decide whether or not Henry Segura is guilty.
If he’s convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Prosecutors say the evidence presented over the past three weeks points to Segura, including confessions, cell phone records and more -- but the defense passionately argued that the investigation wasn’t thorough and that Segura isn’t capable of murdering three children and their mother.
The state showed the graphic photos of Brandi Peters and her three children several times throughout the course of its closing argument. Peters' sister Monica stormed out of the courtroom at one point but returned later.
Prosecutors pulled up Segura’s interviews with police, along with the cell phone records of Brandi Peters. They also referred to two alleged confessions Segura made to former cellmates.
The defense countered with a powerful plea to look at Henry Segura as a hard-working man who cared about Brandi’s children.
“This is not a puzzle. It’s not a game. It’s not a Lifetime murder mystery," said lead defense attorney Nathan Prince. "It is a life hanging in the balance. It is justice hanging in the balance. You are not investigators. The investigation is supposed to be done. The proof is supposed to be here. The evidence beyond a reasonable doubt — it’s supposed to be here. You’re here to judge that.”
Prince reminded the jury that Segura’s DNA wasn’t found at the crime scene and that witnesses have given a different time of the murders than what the state has presented.
The defense spent 80 minutes with its closing argument followed by another hour from the state as a final rebuttal, before the jury started deliberating at 1:17 p.m.
Segura was near tears after Prince's closing argument. His legal team was patting and rubbing his back to support him.
