Closing arguments are expected Monday in the trial of a man accused of beating and strangling his college freshman girlfriend in her central Pennsylvania dormitory
Gregorio Orrostieta, 20, is charged in Lancaster County in the death of Karlie Hall, 18, at Millersville University in February 2015. Prosecutors are seeking a first-degree murder conviction.
Defense witnesses testified Friday that Hall's death stemmed from an earlier injury and a nosebleed rather than the defendant's actions, and that hair found in the victim's hand wasn't consistent with his hair.
Police have said that Orrostieta told investigators that the two had been drinking and got into a fight over spilled noodles in her dorm room. He said both were hit and bloodied, and the fight ended with her falling, hitting her head and never waking up, police said.
Prosecutors have described the defendant as possessive and jealous and said he cursed at and shoved her at a party earlier that night. Authorities said they found him trying to administer CPR after calling 911, but they allege that was faked and she had been dead for hours.
The defense has questioned why there was no record of the police interviews other than the officers' written notes and has repeatedly taken issue with the official versions of Hall's death.
Authorities said the couple, who were both from the Philadelphia suburbs, had been dating for about 11 months. Hundreds of students attended an outdoor vigil for Hall after her death at Millersville, an 8,000-student state-owned university.
Both prosecution and defense have rested their cases, and after a brief prosecution rebuttal Monday closing arguments are expected followed by jury instructions and deliberations.
