The Lee County Court is in recess for the remainder of the day for the sentencing phase of the Desmonte Leonard murder trial.
Leonard was found guilty of capital murder on Tuesday, Oct.8, and the sentencing phase of the trial will continue at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning.
The punishment for capital murder is either life without parole or the death penalty.
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The sentencing phase of Desmonte Leonard's trial began on Wednesday, Oct. 8, after he was found guilty of capital murder the previous day.
Jurors found Leonard guilty in the June 9, 2012, deaths of Demario Pitts, and former auburn football players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips.
Capital murder carries the punishment of either life without parole or the death penalty, which the jury must decide.
District Attorney Robert Treese told jurors in his opening statement that they only had to find one aggravating circumstance to recommend the death penalty.
Treese told jurors the prosecution would not represent evidence, but he asked jurors to recall the surveillance video from the night of the shooting and the amount of people at the party at the University Heights, now known as Tiger Lodge, apartment complex.
"The video is evidence of an aggravator and evidence of a miracle of sorts that more people were not killed," Treese said.
Defense attorney Susan James asked the jurors to listen to mitigating circumstances from members of Leonard's friends and family called as witnesses and to vote for life without parole.
Leonard's sister, Shahara, was the first witness called.
Fighting back tears, Shahara described abuse she and Leonard suffered at the hands of their mother when they were children.
"She would make us go pick a switch from a tree and if it wasn't big enough, she'd go pick one herself and tie them together with rubber bands," Shahara said.
Multiple family members described Leonard as the rock of the family.
"What the media is trying to label him as--he's the total opposite," Shahara said.
Fredria Johnson, Leonard's girlfriend since 2007, broke down in tears as she described how Leonard helped her finish high school after she got pregnant.
"Without him, I have nothing," Johnson said.
Lashonda Simington testified she and Leonard had a baby together named Destiny in 2012, who Leonard has never seen because he's been in jail.
Family members describe Leonard as a caring and loving person, and apologized to the victims' families.
"He was particularly talented in science and math and a delight to be around," Damian Laster, Leonard's cousin, said.
Leonard's grandmother, Joyce Thomas, testified she took custody of Leonard and raised him.
"I know in my heart he regrets every minute of what happened," Thomas said. "Please spare his life."
Judge Jacob A. Walker put the court into recess for lunch and the sentencing hearing will resume at 1 p.m.
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