Alfredie Steele, Jr. told Senior Judge Robert Beach this morning that he will not testify. Under further questioning from Beach, Steele said, “There’s a lot of things that happened in this case that I don’t think should have happened.”

Steele wasn’t specific about what he meant. He did say he was satisfied with his attorneys, Assistant Public Defenders Tom Hanlon, Jason Bavol, Bob Focht and Sharonda Oliver. Judges routinely question defendants about taking the stand and whether they feel they’ve been adequately advised of their options by their attorneys. Steele said he had spoken with his lawyers and offered no complaints about the decision not to testify.

The jury then was brought into the courtroom and Hanlon announced the defense had completed its case.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys will now hash out jury instructions. Jury instructions are read to the jurors before they begin their deliberations and tell jurors the laws they are to consider in the case. In deliberating, jurors decide which testimony to believe and what the facts of the case are. They then fit the laws to the facts.  In Steele’s case, the panel will consider whether he is guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter or none of the crimes.

Closing statements are expected to begin in about 30 minutes.

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