Day 5 - Shenandoah Trial update

Closing arguments for the defense in the Shenandoah beating trial took1:40 to complete in Schuylkill County Courthouse.Attorneys Jeff Markosky and Frederick Fanelli sought to have their clients Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky cleared of all charges in the death of Luis Ramirez on July, 2008.Both attorneys sought to discredit just about everything the prosecution presented, from witness stories from some of the other teens involved,to neighbor Elizabeth Schlack and what she saw from her bedroom window on the night in question. Investigator Tony Carroll was the target of Fanelli's arguments as to the handling of the investgation that led to the charges against Donchak and Piekarsky. They also sought to paint Luis Ramirez as the aggressor.Assistant District Attorney Rob Frantz, for 45 minutes, was animated in his argument to the jury in stating that they have proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt that Piekarsky and Donchak committed the crimes they are charged, and showed no remorse.Frantz went in to say that Colin Walsh, who cut a federal plea deal and is facing jail time, along with Ben Lawson and Brian Scully, were credible in pointing the finger at Brandon Piekarsky for kicking Ramirez when he was down on the ground and for Donchak's role in the events that night.Judge Baldwin will charge the jury at 1:15pm when jury deliberations will begin.