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Jury continues to deliberate over Torrey Green rape trial

Posted at 6:34 PM, Jan 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-18 00:09:20-05

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah — The jury in the rape trial of a former Utah State football player is now deciding his fate.

Torrey Green faces 11 charges. The eight-person jury has been deliberating since noon, Thursday.

Lawyers from both sides addressed the jury for the final time earlier in the day.

The prosecution argued that the evidence against Green was overwhelming. They tried to paint him as a predator.

“Appearances can be deceiving,” said Cache County criminal deputy attorney Spencer Walsh. “This defendant right here, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Walsh noted that six different women came forward with similar stories of abuse. He argued that cannot be a coincidence.

“To call this a mere stroke of bad luck is completely ridiculous. it is unbelievable, it is improbable and it is impossible,” Walsh said as he slammed his hand on the desk.

Green’s defense countered that the district attorney declined to file charges against Green when the first victim came forward.

Defense attorney Skye Lazaro claimed the evidence wasn’t good enough then and still isn’t good enough to get a conviction.

“You don’t work backwards. You don’t decide we are going to get someone, we are going to let them sweat it out and then work backward to fill in the gaps,” Lazaro told the jury.

She told members of the jury, while they may not agree with all of Green’s actions, that is no reason to convict him of serious crimes.

She argued the sexual contact in every instance was consensual.

“There is nothing illegal about hooking up with girls,” Lazaro said. “There is nothing illegal about being on tinder. And while it's probably not the nicest thing, there is nothing illegal about one-night stands.”

After a long day of deliberating, the jury will reconvene Friday morning at 9.