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WLOX
June 7, 2015
Nicholas DeMorst has been convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the murder of Hunter Miller.
After closing arguments Thursday and four hours of deliberations, the judge had planned to send the jury home for the day, but jurors came back into the courtroom and said they had reached a verdict.
Jurors had three options: They could have found DeMorst not guilty, guilty of deliberate design murder, or guilty of capital murder. All 12 jurors had to agree to the outcome.
Thursday morning, both sides were given 60 minutes for closing arguments. Assistant District Attorney Cherie Wade was first. She told the jury Hunter Miller was lured to a dark street in Gautier on Jan. 14, 2014, where he was shot and killed in the commission of a robbery.
Wade went over testimony from witnesses the prosecution called to the stand over the last three days. She recalled the pain felt by Miller’s mother and the state of shock Miller’s best friend, Collin Cooper, said he remains in since the murder.
Wade reminded the jury Cooper said he had a bad feeling that night and how DeMorst made demands, “Don’t f* move,” before shooting his friend. She outlined the investigation Gautier police conducted that lead them to arrest DeMorst for capital murder.
After discussing the charge of capital murder and why she believes that charge fits the crime DeMorst committed, Wade went on to talk about the lesser charge, deliberate design murder.
Wade told the jury this charge would only fit if they didn’t believe beyond a reasonable doubt DeMorst tried to rob Miller before he shot and killed him.
“We have proved DeMorst attempted to rob Miller,” said Wade.
Wade also put several slides up on a projector to explain the, “defendant’s alibi cook-up.” She said the interview of DeMorst talking to police after being arrested showed he had to think about an alibi for the night of the murder. DeMorst was repeating himself in what she said was an attempt to buy time and make up a story.
“Tuesday night. Tuesday night, where was I,” she repeated DeMorst’s answers. “I’m not going to lie. I was smoking weed.”
Then, Wade said DeMorst came up with an alibi.
“I was helping home girl with her car,” DeMorst told police.
When asked who home girl was, Wade said DeMorst didn’t have an answer and changed the subject from talking about where he was that night. Wade questioned the alibi saying if he was at his girlfriend’s, Brittney Bridges, house like Bridges’ mom testified Wednesday, then why didn’t he tell police that the day he was arrested?
Wade went over the recorded phone calls DeMorst made from jail to his girlfriend. She said they were trying to get his alibi together, talking about how they went to pick up a car. He instructed Bridges to go talk to the man at the shop. Never, Wade said, did they talk about them being at Bridges’ house at the time of the murder.
In the last call played, DeMorst told his girlfriend, “I f* up.”
“What was he talking about? I submit to you he was talking about trying to rob and kill Miller,” Wade told the jury.
