Jury hears closing arguments in Milke murder trial
Closing arguments were presented by the state and defense Thursday morning in the murder trial of 53-year-old Christopher Milke of Beatrice
BEATRICE, Neb. - Closing arguments were presented by the state and defense Thursday morning in the murder trial of 53-year-old Christopher Milke of Beatrice, accused of murdering his partner Tammy Leslie
Mike Jensen presented argument for the state, while defense attorney Timothy Noerrlinger spoke represnting Milke.
"Tammy's crying inconsolably. Jack is crying and scared," Jensen said. "How did the gun get in his [Milke's] hand? That's an intentional act, not accidental. Why did he pick up the gun? You have to do an intentional act. You have to intentionally walk over, pick up the fire arm."
"I would like you to consider whether the state has proven, given what's going on for five minutes inside the bed room, that no one knows anything about, was this an intentional act? Noerrlinger said.
Milke is charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony, kidnapping, and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of Tammy Leslie. The incident occurred on Sept. 8, 2024.
The defense asked the jury to find Milke guilty of manslaughter, tampering with evidence and false imprisonment - the state, and Gage County Deputy Attorney Braden Dvorak, asked for the jury to find Milke guilty on all counts.
"A just verdict is one that holds this man [Milke] accountable for kidnapping his children. A just verdict is a verdict that holds this man accountable for murdering Tammy Leslie," Dvorak said. "Justice for Madison, Jack, and Tammy demands a just verdict... A just verdict is to find this man guilty on all five counts."
Jury deliberations began shortly after 11:30 a.m., Thursday.