Closing Arguments, Warren.

◼ "Dorothy Ulrich was aware of the pain, you can hear her screaming. Was a decision being made while she was being stabbed and beaten by a sword while she begged for her life" - John Chiv/Words Worth - John Chiv/Words Worth 5:06

"Beaten while someone is screaming in agony, saying stop, please stop, please stop, I can't take it anymore."

Mr. Sequeira referred to Dorothy Ulrich's swollen hands and said that Warren beat her "as she begged to live a little longer. Can you imagine the mental anguish? The defendant had the ability to stop. What did he say? Shut up and be quiet. He might as well have said Shut up and be quiet, I'm killing you."

"She is not here to testify but her last words, she told you who killed her."

◼ Closing arguments start in Jason Warren trial after an hour and half of jury instructions - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ ‘He Tortured Her to Death’ Prosecutor Argues in Closing Statement for Warren Double-Murder Trial - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 6:27

He also added some context to the dry legal definitions. Murder in the first degree requires malice aforethought, whether implied or express, Sequeira said. Like if you were to “smash someone’s head with a sword,” he added, referencing the alleged murder weapon in Ulrich’s death.

Lying in wait involves concealing your purpose and waiting for an opportunity to act before unleashing a surprise attack. That doesn’t necessarily mean a bad guy jumping out from behind a bush, Sequeira said. It could be someone who was hanging out with the victim all day, as Warren did with Ulrich.

◼ Warren prosecutor: Trial shows trail of murder - Jessie Faulkner/Times-Standard

Premeditation and deliberation, Sequeira said, is about the process of making a decision.

“We all know that Dorothy Ulrich made a fatal mistake in that she brought the defendant into her house,” he said.

For 18 hours, Sequeira stressed, Warren was in Ulrich’s home. While the prosecutor said he had decided not to replay the audio capturing the sounds of the assault that killed Ulrich, he pointed to that four minutes of pain, fear and desperation as torture, one of the special allegations Warren faces. That argument continued with attention on two wounds the medical examiner found on Ulrich’s chest.

“They’re not very deep,” he said. “They’re like jabs and pokes. Who does that unless they intend to inflict long and extended pain?”

◼ 11 days. 4 weeks. 3 years. And now...

May the families find peace, and relief, when this is over.