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(April 7) Suzanne Johnson, the daycare provider accused of murder in the death of six-month-old Jasmine Miller, now waits to see whether she will go free or potentially spend the rest of her life in prison as the jury has started deliberating.

During closing arguments by the state, prosecutor Eugenia Eyherabide said that Johnson "lost it" with baby Jasmine. The prosecutor told jurors that Johnson was driven "crazy" by the infant's constant crying and fussiness and lost control. According to Eyherabide, all the facts regarding Jasmine's extensive head injuries -- and all the state medical experts agree -- that the baby's death was a homicide, not an accident. In addition, despite their various theories, Eyherabide told jurors that the experts agreed that Jasmine died from a blunt force trauma to her head, and she died as a result of child abuse.

"She [Johnson] kept telling the Millers that Jasmine was fine, that she wasn't having any trouble with her," Eyherabide said. "But look at the facts, ladies and gentlemen. They don't lie." The prosecutor also reminded jurors about Johnson's several initial lies to police about Jasmine's death, saying that this shows her guilt. Eyherabide called Johnson's claim on the stand that she had forgotten about Jasmine's alleged fall from the high chair and therefore did not tell the police about it at first "preposterous." Defense attorney Marc Carlos responded to the state's closing arguments by portraying Johnson as a mother and grandmother who could not, and would not, have killed Jasmine Miller. View The Prosecution's Closing Arguments Download Realplayer "People like Suzanne Johnson do not kill," Carlos said repeatedly. "People like Suzanne Johnson nurture life...The state's case is based on a need to blame someone for Jasmine Miller's death. And who do they blame? The last person to hold the baby, my client, Suzanne Johnson." Carlos used the testimony of the prosecution's own forensic pathologist Jan Leestma to cast doubt on its own medical evidence. Quoting Leestma, Carlos told jurors that the study of child abuse cases was not an exact science. According to the defense attorney, if jurors have even the slightest doubt about the state's medical testimony, then they must acquit Johnson. "'Never say never' is what Dr. Leestma said," Carlos reminded jurors. "'I don't hold a patent on the truth.' Well the prosecutor is asking you to say never. That Jasmine could not have died the way my client claims she did. But can we conclusively say that?" Carlos also explained the inconsistencies of Johnson's statements to police by saying that she was "paralyzed by fear" when the police responded to her 911 call and claimed that they bullied her into giving them the truth that they wanted to hear. The defense attorney then suggested that Jasmine was already suffering from a pre-existing injury when Johnson first began caring for her. Johnson, he said, had a long history of proving wonderful care for her clients' children and that was proven by the prior testimony of parents and a child she cared for. During the state's rebuttal case, Eyherabide told jurors that there was only one victim in this case -- and it was not Johnson, as the defense suggested. The only victim, the prosecutor said, was Jasmine Miller, who will never get to read a book, kiss her parents, or enjoy her first birthday. Suzanne Johnson's case is now in the jury's hands. Court TV will cover the verdict live once it is reached. top of page View The Defense's Closing Arguments Download Realplayer HOMEPAGE | FAMOUS CASES | TRIAL TRACKING | LEGAL DOCUMENTS | PROGRAM GUIDE | CTV STORE | GAMES/CONTEST | LEGAL TERMS | SEARCH | INDEX | HOW TO GET CTV | COMMENTS Copyright© 1999 by the Courtroom Television Network LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced in any form without permission of Court TV. Nothing in this site is intended to constitute legal advice. COURT TV is a registered trademark and COURT TV ONLINE is a service mark of the Courtroom Television Network.