Defense attorney Louis Sirkin now addressing the jury with his closing argument. Reminds jurors it is up to the prosecution to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. He says the prosecution zeroed in on Jacob Bumpass and never considered anyone else.
Defense says this case should not be decided on emotion.
Says Paige Johnson was a "17-year-old running amok." Says because Jacob Bumpass is 6'4" and big, Johnson's mom didn't like him.
Defense has suggested the idea that the media coverage over the years led to the real person who dumped Paige Johnson's remains in the area to do so after seeing that law enforcement believed it was in that area.
Defense also poses the question of why wasn't Paige Johnson's body found if there were so many searches in the area. Law enforcement and Dave Rader with Texas Equusearch says they never searched the area where her remains were.
Defense now tells the jury somebody placed Paige Johnson's head at the Mathis Rd. site at a later date. Says more of the body should have been found if her whole body had been dumped there.
Defense says he has no duty to do anything (to prove innocence). Says of course Jacob Bumpass was worried. He was the last person to see Paige when he dropped her off. Says of course Bumpass had trouble remembering that night/morning.
Defense says Jacob Bumpass is entitled to act how he acted.
Says we should all act that way because of how the prosecution twisted things around.
Defense again points out, Jacob Bumpass does not need to prove his guilt or his whereabouts the night/morning Paige Johnson disappeared.
Says if Paige's body had been dumped 9/23/2010, someone would have found it before March of 2020.
Defense says using psychics is absurd. Now, Sirkin is getting to the inferences the jury must use to arrive at a guilty verdict. Says jurors must infer Jacob Bumpass got off SR 32. Says they must infer he knew of the spot on Mathis Road.
Defense says they must infer Bumpass dumped the body in a 35-40 minute span. This gets back to the questioning about inferences on inferences. Sirkin says jury can only get to a guilty verdict by making several inferences on other inferences.
Defense says if something happened to Paige Johnson at Jacob Bumpass's that night/morning she disappeared, there was never any evidence her body was transported in any car law enforcement searched Police say they searched Bumpass's brother's car and found nothing.
Defense now asking, if police knew where the cell tower pings were and the areas that covered, why didn't law enforcement search all those places?
Defense says the prosecution has created a "ladder of inferences." The car was heading east bound on SR 32. The car must have turned off to go to Mathis Rd. Bumpass must have found the perfect spot to dump Paige's body. Bumpass dumped the body and went home.
Defense says the last inference is that the body was there for nearly 10 years and no one ever saw the body. Talks about a billboard that used to be there. It was a printed billboard that must have been physically changed when a new message was installed.
Defense poses the question, how could no one see the body in those nearly 10 years. He says jurors must not stack inferences and without those inferences they must acquit.
Defense says the jury must not listen to Paige Johnson's mom's characterization of Jacob Bumpass as a bad person simply because he was a bigger guy. Bottom line is Covington Police was not professional throughout the case.
The defense has finished its closing argument asking jurors to find Jacob Bumpass not guilty. Prosecution now gets the chance to address the jury once more. The jury should get the case shortly. As soon as a verdict is reached I will let you all know.
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The man charged in connection with the 2010 disappearance and death of Florence teen Paige Johnson will return to court Monday.
