Jurors on Thursday will hear closing arguments in the second stage of the penalty phase in the trial of Dexter Lewis,
Jurors are in the process of deciding whether the details of Lewis’ life outweigh the things that made his crime so horrific. That decision will determine whether jurors move to the final stage in deciding whether Lewis will face the death penalty.
During the second stage, the defense team presented mitigating factors — — to the jury. After hearing instructions and closing arguments Thursday, the jury will decide whether those mitigating factors outweigh such as multiple victims and carrying out the murder in an “especially heinous, cruel or depraved” manner.
If the jury does not find the mitigating factors outweigh the aggravating factors, the trial will move to a third penalty stage in which victims’ families will be given the chance to testify.
Matthew Nussbaum: 303-954-1666, mnussbaum @denverpost.com or twitter.com/ MatthewNussbaum
