Closing arguments were heard Wednesday morning in the trial of Pembroke triple-murder suspect Christian “Kit” Martin.
They began with Public Defender Tom Griffiths on behalf of Martin, who spoke for an hour and 50 minutes, calling much of the evidence presented by the Commonwealth planted or desperate.
He pointed specifically at a shell casing found on the back porch of the Phillips home and an Army dog tag with Martin’s information left next to a wallet.
While saying he doesn’t believe the police planted any of the evidence, he offered several explanations for how someone could plant a shell casing in the home to be found five months after the killings and pointed specifically to Martin’s ex-wife Joan Harmon for how that dog tag may have gotten there.
He told the jury there simply isn’t enough hard, reliable evidence to convict Martin for the murders of Pam and Calvin Phillips and Ed Dansereau.
Assistant Attorney General Barbara Whaley spoke on behalf of the Commonwealth, saying the case is about the victims and showing jurors photos of the Phillips and Dansereau.
Whaley asked jurors to not be swayed into believing in some type of conspiracy theory.
She again outlined motivation Martin could have had for killing Calvin Phillips, as he was set to testify in a pending court martial against him on Fort Campbell. She also attempted to squash the defense theories that the murders could have been committed by Harmon or her boyfriend, William Stokes.
The jury began deliberations around 12:30 p.m.