Jury Deliberations Underway In Dayonte Resiles Murder Trial

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Closing arguments wrapped up Friday afternoon in the trial of Dayonte Resiles who is accused of the 2014 murder of Jill Halliburton Su and the case has gone to the jury.

Su, a wife, and mother, and the grandniece of Halliburton oil founder Erie Halliburton, was found stabbed to death in her Davie home.

Prosecutors claim Resiles broke into Su's home to burglarize it and stabbed her when he was discovered.

During the prosecution's first part of their closing argument, Maria Schneider said it was Su's son Justin, who was 20 at the time, who found his 59-year-old mother's lifeless body, with her hands tied, in a bathtub full of dark, bloody water.

She told the jury at first he thought she had killed herself and called his father who call 911. He then realized his mother had been murdered.

Schneider said Su had defensive would all over and she had reached for the knife during the attack.

"She was in the tub when he stabbed her. He stabbed her multiple times, she was tied up," said Schneider.

She said that DNA evidence collected at the home showed that he killed her. She added that the defense's own expert had no problem with it.

A police warrant states Resiles' DNA was found on a knife and the belt of a robe used to tie Su's hands.

During his argument, defense attorney Allari Dominguez said swabs around the tub revealed no DNA that belonged to Resiles. He added that investigators did not find any blood on his clothes in his car or at his home.

He said Su struggled with her attack and yet none of Resiles' DNA was found on her body or under her fingernails.

Dominguez said looking at it through the eyes of a 19-year-old or 20-year-old, he didn't flee or try to escape. He said the police went to his house where he was arrested, "this is not a consciousness of guilt."

He also brought up the pool maintenance man who was at the house around the time of the murder who didn't see anything.

Dominguez said Justin Su had a group of friends over before the murder who had been drinking and doing drugs. He said Su initially thought one of his friends may have been involved. He added that Su told police multiple versions of where he was and he called them strange inconsistencies.

He told the jury if Resiles had been in the house to burglarize, how come nothing of value was taken. He pointed out a jewelry box that had multiple prints on it, but they were never compared to Su's friends.

In her rebuttal, Schneider said Resiles DNA was found in three locations in the home and they shouldn't buy the argument that it could have been cross-contamination.

She also recalled how in 2016, Resiles bolted from a Broward Courtroom and escaped through a stairwell.

"The defendant is clever. He was able to stage an escape from a courtroom full of people. He did a dry run 10 days before," she said after that he had help from friends to conceal him.

Schneider said innocent people don't fabricate, they don't ask people to lie for them.

After his capture, he wrote a letter to the judge in which he said he fled because he's innocent. He claims he was framed for the murder.

"Come back with a verdict that speaks the truth and holds Dayonte Resiles responsible for the killing of Jill Su," said Schneider as she wrapped her rebuttal.

Resiles could face the death penalty if convicted.