ORLANDO, Fla. _ Grant Amato, the Chuluota, Fla., man accused of killing his parents and brother in January, decided not to take the stand in his own defense, as his defense team rested its case Wednesday morning.
Amato was sworn in and gave one- and two- word answers to several questions from Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler, formally waiving his right to testify. His lawyers then announced they were resting their case.
Prosecutors said their closing arguments would take about two hours. Amato's lawyers said theirs would take just over an hour.
The jury was briefly brought into the courtroom and told they would begin deliberating sometime Wednesday. They were then allowed to go home and pack a bag in preparation of being sequestered at a hotel during deliberations.
While Amato's lawyer Jared Shapiro said Tuesday afternoon his client would "probably" testify, his other lawyer, Jeff Dowdy, said Wednesday it wasn't happening.
Amato is facing the death penalty in the killings of his parents, Margaret and Chad Amato, and brother, Cody Amato. Prosecutors said Amato stole $200,000 from his family to fund his infatuation with a Bulgarian webcam model, then killed his mother, father and brother after the family tried ending the relationship.
But Amato's lawyers said the case against their client is circumstantial. They asked Recksiedler to acquit Amato after the state rested Tuesday afternoon, saying no physical evidence ties him to the killings. The judge rejected that request.
