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Sanel Saint Simon trial: Closing arguments to begin Tuesday

By Jason Kelly and Field Sutton
By Jason Kelly and Field Sutton
Testimony ended Monday in the murder trial of an Orange County man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend's daughter in 2014.
Deputies said Sanel Saint Simon kidnapped and killed 16-year-old Alexandria Chery. Her body was discovered in July 2014 along a road near the Osceola-Polk county line.
Chery's close friends testified that Saint Simon killed Chery because she refused to have a relationship with him, prosecutors said.
On Monday, jurors heard a three-hour taped interview between Saint Simon and detectives from when Chery was reported missing.
Read: Sanel Saint Simon trial: Blood found on suspect matches victim, experts say
Detectives pleaded with Saint Simon to help them get Chery home safely.
It would be another week before they found her body.
His answers did not match what witnesses had already told detectives and surveillance video that captured him in random places after leaving work the day Chery died.
“You know we’re looking for her. You know that it’s important that we know everything. Why would you withhold information from us that you weren’t at work? Why would I have to turn around and find out you weren’t?” the detective asked Saint Simon at the time.
Read: Interrogation video shown to jury in Orange County teen slaying trial
“Because, actually, like, it’s about (inaudible) and she say something,” Saint Simone responded.
Many of Saint Simon’s responses were inaudible and detectives frequently accused him of talking in circles.
Detectives believe Saint Simon dodged crucial questions about the case, including how he cut his hand.
Saint Simon was asked repeatedly about cuts on his hand, but never gave a clear answer.
He never confessed, but at one point in the interview said, “I swear to God, if you know I’m guilty, I’m ready for anything, anything you do.”
He also broke down in tears during the interview.
Saint Simon’s lawyers said the tears were genuine and that he cried because he also desperately wanted the case solved.
Prosecutors believe the tears were a ruse and argued that from the time Saint Simon borrowed  a car he allegedly used to pull off the killing, he was planning to kill Chery.
Things turned adversarial as detectives started outlining alleged lies they said Saint Simon got caught in within 24 hours of Chery’s disappearance, including how he paid for food at a Burger King.
“If you would lie about something that small, then of course you’re going to lie about something much bigger than that,” said the detective.
Detectives were fact-checking his history in real time during the interrogation.
“Her mom, her family, deserves to know where she’s at. Where she’s at right now. And I know you know. The next word to come out of your mouth you should be talking to me and telling me,” said the detective.
The defense claimed detectives were too heavy-handed and tried to trick Saint Simon into confessing.
They claimed he was railroaded and never definitively connected to Chery’s murder.
Read: Testimony begins in trial of Orange County man accused of killing girlfriend's daughter
Aliyah Garrett, another of Chery's friends, testified Friday that she and another friend, Dana Saint Fleur, were on a FaceTime call with Chery when Saint Simon knocked on her door.
"She was like, 'He was trying to touch me,'" Garrett said. "She was like, 'Just stay on the phone, because I'm scared.'"
Garrett said the friends couldn't see or hear what Saint Simon was doing, but she said she knew something wasn't right.
Saint Simon's attorneys said the story was made up.
Each side rested its case Monday afternoon.
Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Tuesday and the jury should receive its instructions in the afternoon.

Cox Media Group

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