GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) â Closing arguments are expected to unfold in court Thursday in the case of a 19-year-old Ada man charged with murder in the beating death of a 64-year-old driver.
Christian Hillman is charged with second-degree murder after police say he severely beat William McFarlan on Sept. 29 on Whitneyville Avenue in Caledonia Township.
Wednesday, prosecutors played detectivesâ recorded interview with Hillman in court.
In the interview, Hillman told officers McFarlan put his hands around Hillmanâs neck like he was trying to strangle him. Hillman said he felt like his actions were in self-defense, but told the officer he âkind of lost control for a second.â
The camera was still rolling when an officer came into the interrogation room to photograph Hillman after the deadly beating.
âMake sure you get my good side,â Hillman told the officer.
Jurors Wednesday also heard texts and Facebook messages sent from Hillmanâs account after the beating, as well as detailed descriptions and photos of McFarlanâs injuries.
The medical examiner testified McFarlan died from a head injury as the result of a homicide. McFarlan spent about a month in a coma before his death.
Hillman is being represented by a powerful defense team that includes a lawyer who previously worked in the U.S. Attorneyâs Office, which he foreshadowed in a recorded interrogation room phone call to his mother.
âIâm going to get a really good lawyer and sheâs going to shut (police) the f**k up,â he said.
Hillmanâs defense team didnât call any witnesses after the prosecution rested its case Wednesday. However, his lawyers have raised questions about why the beating happened, pointing to the possibility that Hillmanâs life may have been in danger.
Prosecutors seemed to be working to dismantle that defense with photos of Hillman taken by sheriffâs investigators hours after the incident. They showed that Hillman had no obvious injuries.
Jurors will have the option to find Hillman guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter, or they could find him not guilty.