Bergerud case goes to jury

Rebecca Waddingham

Lawyers for both sides presented closing arguments to the jury this morning during the trial of Allen Bergerud, accused of two counts of first-degree murder.

District Attorney Al Dominguez used computer clip-art to argue to jurors his interpretation of “reasonable doubt.”

He displayed an icon of Mount Rushmore, with Theodore Roosevelt’s face blocked out, and asked jurors if they had a reasonable doubt that the cartoon was indeed of Mount Rushmore.

He showed a picture of the Statue of Liberty, with her hand and torch blocked out, and asked if there was a reasonable doubt that the cartoon was Lady Liberty.

Then, he showed a “Wheel-of-Fortune”-style sentence billboard, with a “D” and a couple of other letters.

There was a reasonable doubt about what it said, because there wasn’t enough information, Dominguez said.

Then he clicked the laptop and more letters appeared.

Only a couple were missing, so it was clear the sign read “Defendant Is Guilty.”

Defense attorney Joseph Saint-Veltri didn’t like that and objected.

During his own closing statement, Saint-Veltri questioned why prosecutors didn’t present certain pieces of evidence. He said there wasn’t enough evidence that his client is guilty of first-degree murder.

More is to come this afternoon, then the case will go to the jury.