Jury begins deliberation in Christina Morris kidnapping case

After seven hours of deliberating, Collin County jurors went into sequestration Tuesday night in the kidnapping trial of Christina Morris.

The jury began deliberating Tuesday afternoon the fate of the man accused of kidnapping Morris.

Enrique Arochi was the last person seen with Morris in Aug. 2014 at the Shops at Legacy in Plano. He could get up to life in prison if convicted by a Collin County jury.

The prosecution and defense each gave closing arguments midday Tuesday in front of a capacity courtroom – and for the first time, a television camera. The judge allowed the closing arguments to be shown live on local TV stations.

Prosecutor Zeke Fortenberry said the evidence presented, including DNA, surveillance video, cell phone messages and location data, were enough to convict Arochi despite the fact Morris’ body has never been found.

Defense attorney Keith Gore tried to poke holes in the prosecution’s case, alleging cross-contamination of DNA evidence and questioning the objectivity of Plano police.

Courtroom observers were split on how long the jury would take to decide. Some thought a verdict could be returned by end of the day Tuesday with others believing a Wednesday verdict was more likely. The jury would be sequestered overnight if a verdict wasn’t reached Tuesday.

Deliberation will resume Wednesday morning.

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