FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Jurors began deliberating Thursday in the murder trial of Cid Torrez, who is accused of killing his estranged wife.
The two-week trial wrapped up Wednesday with the testimony of a friend who said the defendant once asked him about buying a gun and how to dispose of a body.
The defense pushed back and noted that the friend didn't take the question seriously.
The state spent more than hour laying out its case one final time before jurors.
"The defense wants to argue there's no murder weapon. Well, guess what? The murder weapons are the hands of this man right here," prosecutor Heather Henricksen said.
The assistant state attorney reminded jurors how Torrez made it clear that he did not want to see his estranged wife with another man, how he installed spyware on Vilet's Torrez's cellphone and how the couple's daughter testified that she heard a howling sound at her home the night prosecutors said Vilet Torrez died.
The teen told jurors that she heard her father say, "No, you wake up."
The state also reminded the jury about cadaver dogs that led handlers to Cid Torrez's car, where it's believed he put her body before getting rid of it.
"The state merely has to show opportunity," Assistant State Attorney Lanie Bandell said. "We don't know if he hit her first, then put her in the trunk, put her in a dumpster, then got her, put her in the Everglades and the alligators got her. We'll never know. We'll never know. We just have to prove opportunity."
Authorities said Vilet Torrez disappeared in March 2012.
Prosecutors said her estranged husband was jealous that she was dating again, killed her and got rid of the body.
Her remains were never found.
Prosecutors have long said that his actions before and after Vilet Torrez vanished are more than enough evidence to prove his guilt.
The state points to a nearly a 24-hour gap between when Vilet Torrez was seen getting home and Cid Torrez was back with his children after dropping them off with relatives.
The defense has long said that the evidence just shows Vilet Torrez disappeared and not that she's dead, let alone at the hands of her estranged husband.
Defense attorney Richard Della Fera turned to other high profile cases as proof that there is a chance that Vilet Torrez is still alive.
"Perhaps some of you are familiar with Jacey Dugard, found alive after 18 years in captivity," he said.
Jurors deliberated for several hours before going home for the evening. They are expected to return to the courthouse Friday morning.
Cid Torrez did not testify during the trial.
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.