Closing arguments set for Tuesday morning in capital murder trial of Antonio Lopez

Closing arguments are set for Tuesday morning in the capital murder trial of Antonio Lopez.

Lopez is accused of stomping on and killing 11-month old foster child Jayla Beckley back in 2012.

On Monday, both the prosecution and defense rested its case, and while the prosecution took more than three days to present its case, the defense wrapped up its case Monday in less than three hours, bringing just three witnesses to the stand.

Lopez, now 30, initially confessed to police. But his defense says another foster child, named Abigail, then 12, may have been at his home the day of the murder and killed Jayla.

Jayla suffered tears in her liver and intestines, five broken ribs and a fractured skull.

One defense witness, a mitigation specialist with the public defender’s office, indicated Abigail told her she was at the Lopez home on the day of the murder.

Abigail denied being there earlier in the trial as a witness for the prosecution.

The day began with testimony from justin holmes, a convicted child pornographer, who testified Lopez admitted to him while at the county jail he beat Kayla, stomping on her three times.

Holmes told the jury Lopez asked him to write a false statement on how Jayla got injured, stating that his “youngest child had jumped off the bed.”

He went on to state that Lopez told him he “punched Jayla in the stomach, pulled her hair and dropped her from shoulder height.”

The first defense witness was a family friend of Lopez’s who attends his church.
She testified he was a loving and caring parent and she never saw him or his wife abuse the children.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday morning, after which the jury of six men and six women will deliberate.

Lopez faces an automatic life sentence if convicted of capital murder.