ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — It took three and a half years to bring an Orange County murder case to trial, but after only two days the trial is almost over. Loc Tran is accused of stabbing to death a UCF student in 2006.
The jurors should get the case Thursday morning. All the witness testimony finished Wednesday afternoon, now both sides need to make their closing arguments and then let the jury decide if Loc Tran is guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend.
"No, I'm not testifying, sir," Loc Tran said.
Murder suspect Loc Tran said few words in open court, turning down the chance to testify in his own defense. But witnesses had plenty to say about the crime he's accused of committing.
Crime scene investigator Michael Vincent talked about the bloody kitchen knife, bloody drink can that had Loc Tran's fingerprints on it, and was asked about the ligatures, or straps of cloth, he believes were used to tie Ahn Tran, no relation to Loc, to the bed.
"This part was tied around the bed. This is where I cut it off without untying it and taped it back together where I cut it. This part was actually around the post of the bed," Vincent said.
Anh's family was not in court when investigators detailed the crime. The crime scene investigator went step-by-step showing the inside and outside of the house. Vincent showed there was no sign of an intruder, a burglary and no sign of forced entry into the home. The prosecutor seemed to want to show the crime had to have been done by someone in the home.
"There's only two people who could have stabbed the victim," prosecutor Robin Winkinson said.
Prosecutors pointed out evidence that shows Anh and Loc were the only people in the room and it was not a suicide.
Anh's co-workers at Hooter's testified Loc Tran seemed obsessed. He would visit the restaurant several times a week, even after Ahn broke up with him, and would show people naked pictures of her.
"He would sit there for hours on end," Anh's former co-worker said.
The defense didn't call any witnesses and for the second day in a row called for a mistrial, saying there is not enough solid evidence to even send it to the jury.
"State's case is based solely on circumstantial evidence," Loc Tran's attorney Francis Blanker said.
But once again, the judge denied the defense's request. Final arguments are expected Thursday morning.
Previous Stories: February 23, 2010: Murder Trial Begins After More Than 3 Years
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