Jury to begin deliberation today in Behrman murder trial

MARTINSVILLE -- Twelve jurors will begin deliberation about John R. Myers II's fate today in the trial for the murder of Jill Behrman, an IU student who never returned from a morning bike ride May 31, 2000.\nThe defense rested its case Friday morning after presenting less than a day and a half of evidence.\nFinal arguments and deliberation begin at 8 a.m. today. The prosecution and defense will each be given an hour and a half to address the jury before deliberation, Judge Christopher Burnham said. For a trial that was supposed to last several weeks, the possibility of the jury reaching a verdict early this week, after less than two weeks of testimony, came as a surprise.\nThe defense concluded its presentation of evidence after showing its last piece to the jury Friday: a yellow piece of plastic recovered in a search of Salt Creek Aug. 22, 2002. The piece of plastic was recovered when police drained Salt Creek in search of Behrman's body after Wendy Owings gave a false confession that she and two others hit Behrman with their car, stabbed her, wrapped her in a tarp and threw her into the creek. Owings later retracted her statement after hunters found Behrman's remains in rural Morgan County.\nMorgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega said the prosecution will use circumstantial evidence to try to persuade the jury during final arguments.\nProsecutors presented no physical evidence linking Myers to Behrman's death. \nOne piece of evidence the prosecution wasn't allowed to use was an interview with John R. Myers II's parents, John and Jodie Myers, on June 27, 2000, less than a month after Jill disappeared, Sonnega said. The interview was "ruled to be hearsay," Sonnega said.\n"Oh, it's good," Sonnega said of the interview's content. It would have been easier to "connect the dots" if the prosecution could have used that interview, he said. \nDefendant John R. Myers II did not testify in the trial, a fact which Burnham said the jury should not consider in reaching a verdict.\nJill's father, Eric Behrman, answered questions from the media Friday morning, his voice shaking as he recalled the discovery of Jill's remains, now that he might finally see justice in the six-year-old case.\nEric Behrman commented on his previous statements to the media, in which he defended Jill against accusations from defense attorney Patrick Baker that she was pregnant, leading Baker to file for a mistrial.\n"To me as a father, I couldn't let that happen. ... I couldn't wait to get here the next day and confront (Baker)," Eric Behrman said.\n"If it's a not guilty verdict," he said, pausing, "that's gonna be a tough one. Everything's up in the air right now. ... I personally have no doubt that John Myers is the person (who did this)." \nBaker fielded media questions Friday about his confidence after the conclusion of evidence presented.\n"We don't have to prove anything," Baker said. "It's the state's burden to prove the case." \nBaker would not comment on pregnancy tests, condoms, reproductive health books and birth control pills found in Jill Behrman's room when asked about Marilyn Behrman's statement that they were part of a sexuality course at IU.\nIndiana State Police detective Rick Lang said the defense has tried shifting a lot of factors in the trial.\n"We've been focused on one person, and that's the person that did it," Lang said. "I'm happy that we are where we are"