NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two men accused of killing a 12-year-old honor student will soon learn their fate.
Tuesday marked the second day of testimony, in the trial of Justin Howard and Cedric Peppers. Both were charged in the 2009 murder of Mikia Woodland. Police said that in July 2009 Howard, Pepper and three other men forced their way into a home on Maury Street. The state contends those men planned to rob a known drug dealer who lived there, but instead fatal shoot his 12-year-old Woodland.
The state rested its case at about 2:30 this afternoon, but not before defense attorneys spent several hours, trying to poke holes in the case. Defense attorneys for both said they are innocent and during cross examination of two Metro Police detectives, they seemed to suggest much of the evidence against their clients is based on hear-say.
The defense called just four witnesses and their testimony took under an hour. Cedric Peppers' brother-in-law was one of the witnesses called. Attorneys hoped to use his testimony to prove that Peppers and Howard weren't present when five men allegedly forced their way inside Mikia Woodland's Nashville home, and killed her, as they tried to rob her father.
Peppers' attorney argued that witnesses like Mikia's grandmother never made mention of the gold teeth her client as had for years suggesting that this is a case of mistaken identity. But prosecutors, during cross examination shot down that theory quite quickly.
Closing arguments are set to
begin Friday morning at 9:30. Then the jury will begin deliberation.
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