SOUTHAMPTON, Va. — The defense rested its case Thursday afternoon in the Wesley Hadsell trial.
This comes just a day after the prosecution rested its case. Court officials say closing arguments will begin tomorrow.
Hadsell is accused of killing his stepdaughter, Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell, in 2015. She went missing in March, and police officers found her body a month later. A medical examiner determined she died from acute heroin poisoning.
Thursday, the defense called a handful of witnesses before resting its case. The first person to take the stand was Wesley and AJ Hadsell's former neighbor.
The day AJ disappeared, he said he noticed a white car in the Hadsell's driveway — but didn’t pay much attention to it.
During cross-examination, the former neighbor said he installed a camera after AJ’s disappearance, but a few days later, Wesley told him to turn it off because people coming to his home didn't want to be filmed.
The neighbor told Hadsell no.
Jurors also heard from another nearby neighbor who said he saw AJ driving a pickup truck, but he couldn’t remember the exact day.
He told jurors Wesley Hadsell told him, "If you find something, come to me, not police.”
A man who lived on Smith Ferry Road (where AJ’s body was found) also testified. He said he saw a van go into the abandoned home’s driveway, but didn’t know the date. He said it happened around 3:30 in the morning.
The witness also told the defense he doesn’t remember talking to a Southampton County deputy. He claimed it isn’t unusual to see people come and go from the abandoned home, because they go there for other purposes.
The last person to testify for the defense was AJ’s ex-boyfriend. He told jurors he and AJ made plans to see each other, but that never happened.
When she disappeared, prosecutors say he texted her several times saying, “I hope you’re ok,” and that he loved her.
The defense lastly showed about 15 pictures of quotes talking about suicide. The defense said they found them on AJ’s phone.
Court officials expect Hadsell’s trial to last until early next week.