Marcus Smith has been found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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A jury began deliberations in the murder trial of Marcus Smith on Monday afternoon.
He is accused of killing 87-year-old Kathryn “Kit” Grazioli in 2011, after breaking into her Colorado Springs home.
12 jurors deliberated for just over an hour beginning at 3:55 p.m. before being put on recess for the evening.
This comes after listening to nearly two hours of gripping closing arguments earlier in the afternoon on day 13 of the emotional trial.
The prosecution is arguing that 25-year-old Marcus Smith knew exactly what he was doing when he broke into Grazioli’s home, began stealing some of her electronics and ultimately killing her by strangulation. They say he then took her body to Gold Camp Road and set it on fire.
On the stand last week, Smith shared shocking testimony revealing graphic details of his sexual assault on Grazioli. He admitted to jurors that he knew he was killing her.
The defense argued that this crime was committed by a paranoid, delusional schizophrenic and that Smith was not in his right state of mind at the time of the murder.
During the course of the trial, Smith would mumble and laugh through different testimonies, at times holding up an unspecified sign to jurors.
Jurors will continue deliberations sometime after 8 a.m. on Tuesday. As soon as jurors reach a decision, News5 will bring that to you on-air and online.
Source: KOAA News 5. See more at KOAA.com.
