TROY, NY -- The fate of Scott Chaplin is now in the hands of a jury.
Chaplin is facing second degree murder charges for killing Rosemary Crosier, a woman he has admitted to having an affair with in 1994.
About an hour into deliberations on Thursday, the jury sent back a note requesting the time the staff meeting was held the night Crosier was killed. They also asked for a read back of the testimony from a former supervisor at the group home where Crosier worked and was found murdered. They wanted information specifically about how she found the crime scene.
Before the deliberations started, the judge announced two jurors had been discharged. The attorneys said it was for inappropriate behavior but would not elaborate.
The jury had closing arguments earlier on Thursday.
Special Prosecutor Robert Becher argues that Chaplin killed Crosier for money to buy crack cocaine. Chaplin's DNA was found in several places at the crime scene, his bite mark found on a roll of paper towels, which Becher said Chaplin used.
"Now the logic becomes compelling, to wipe down the door knob from prints. If he wiped down the door knob from prints he was there, he was part of the cleanup. He was there when the murder occurred," Becher says.
The Defense Attorney Fred Ackerman disputed those claims. He says his client admitted to being at the apartment on the night of Crosier's murder but denies he played any role. Ackerman told the jury Chaplin lied because of the age difference; concerned about what his parents would say.
"They have no case, no proof; the absence of proof causes reasonable doubt, the omission of proof. This case breezes and sees reasonable doubt," Ackerman said to the jury.
No verdict was reached on Thursday.
NEWS10 ABC
