Fairfield man found guilty in Illinois murder trial

FAIRFIELD, Ailing. (WFIE) – A Fairfield man accused within the 2014 homicide of Megan Nichols was discovered responsible on Thursday.

After simply two hours of deliberation, the jury returned a responsible verdict.

Brodey Murbarger was arrested in 2020.

Police say Nichols was initially thought-about a lacking particular person till her stays have been present in a rural space in Wayne County, Illinois in 2018.

After six days of testimony from witnesses, the prosecution and protection made their circumstances on Thursday.

To ensure that the jury to convict Murbarger of first-degree homicide, the prosecution needed to show not solely that Murbarger induced the dying of Megan Nichols, however that he did it deliberately.

The prosecution introduced their case, which centered on his unknown whereabouts the night time that Nichols disappeared. It additionally included their plans to run away collectively, Nichols’ blood discovered within the trunk of his automotive, and his altering explanations for occasions when talking to completely different folks or when introduced with new data by regulation enforcement.

The protection then addressed the jury, and identified that regardless of inconsistencies in his story, Murbarger wasn’t arrested or charged for six-and-a-half years, and he voluntarily complied with a number of interviews and searches. They mentioned the prosecution’s case was primarily based on hypothesis, guesses and innuendo. In addition they identified an absence of motive, saying he had no purpose to need to kill Nichols.

The prosecution then addressed the jury one closing time. They mentioned Murbarger wasn’t arrested for thus lengthy due to how lengthy it took to search out Nichols’ stays. In addition they mentioned they don’t need to show motive for a conviction, saying solely the killer is aware of precisely why they did it.

Our 14 Information spoke to Murbarger’s protection legal professional, who mentioned he plans to file for a brand new trial.

We’ll convey you the most recent on the subsequent steps for sentencing.

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