Jury Deliberations Resume Friday In Christopher Dunham Trial

The jury of six men and six women deliberated for more than five hours before calling it a day.<br />

Thursday, May 10th 2012, 10:57 am

By: News 9


A jury of six men and six women will resume deliberating Friday morning after spending five hours Thursday trying to decide the fate of Del City father Christopher Dunham.

Dunham is being tried on child neglect and drug-related charges in the burning deaths of his three young children. They were trapped in a burning RV in January 2011.

The jury heard from a total of 17 witnesses during the four-day trial, and saw both pictures and diagrams of the fire scene. They were also shown actual pieces of evidence collected from the burned out RV; including the door, a space heater, drug pipes and a charred propane tank. The most compelling pictures the jury may have seen were the ones showing the bodies of the Dunham children.

Jurors will be considering all of this when trying to determine if Dunham is guilty or not guilty.

In her closing argument, prosecutor Sue Anne Carlson argued Dunham and his wife, Stephanie, were more concerned with drugs than the welfare of their children. She said Dunham admitted to using marijuana, and drug residue was found inside the burned-out RV. Carlson also said while the fire probably started accidentally, Dunham's neglect of his children caused that accident.

The defense said the fire was a tragic accident and Christopher Dunham, who wasn't home at the time, is not to blame. He called Dunham a hardworking man whose world was destroyed when his children died. He asked the jury to have mercy on the grieving father.

Before testimony resumed Thursday, a juror was excused from the trial. The judge did not reveal why the juror was sent home. An alternate stepped in to take the juror's place.

5/9/2012 Related Story: Trial Of Oklahoma Man Charged In Kids' Deaths Resumes

5/8/2012 Related Story: Juror Wipes Away Tears During Testimony At Christopher Dunham Trial

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

May 10th, 2012

March 22nd, 2024

March 14th, 2024

February 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024