Etute has a tremendous amount riding on this trial.” Jensen commented on this by saying the defendant “has a motive for changing what he said. Police found a knife hidden under Smith’s mattress, leading Turk to say, “Who would be more likely to resort to violence? Who was more likely to be the aggressor? The man who hid the knife or this goofy, gullible kid?” Etute testified that he had seen Smith reach for a weapon, which Etute thought was a gun - something Etute did not mention to police when he was arrested last year. “The facts for the most part in this case are not contested,” prosecutor Patrick Jensen said in his closing statement, the paper reports.īut defense attorney Jimmy Turk blamed Smith, calling him a “deceitful and dishonest man” who “defrauded young men for his own sexual gratification.” Turk said, “Who is the real victim here? This was a wicked sexual ruse.”
The prosecution showed jurors several pictures of Smith’s lifeless, bloodied body. He began beating Smith.Ī detective and the state medical examiner “testified that most of the bones in Smith’s face were broken, he had bleeding and swelling inside his brain and he had multiple teeth knocked out,” according to the Times. He realized Smith was a man and became enraged. Etute returned to Smith’s home May 31, 2021, with the intention of determining Smith’s gender.