CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Jurors spent hours Friday deliberating the fate of accused cop killer Othal Wallace.
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Wallace is accused of shooting and killing Daytona Beach police officer Jason Raynor in June 2021.
The 12 jurors needed to ask the judge several questions Friday afternoon about the law and the evidence they heard during the trial
There are two ways Wallace could be charged with first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer -- either through premeditated or felony murder.
If six jurors don’t feel either of those have been proven by the state, Judge Raul Zambrano said they have options for lesser charges.
“Lesser crimes are first-degree murder, second-degree LEO, second-degree and manslaughter,” he said.
Attorneys made their closing arguments Thursday evening but only after Wallace took the stand in his defense.
Wallace described himself as an overly expressive person and claimed the shooting was an act of self-defense.
Read: Accused cop killer Othal Wallace takes the stand in his trial
“I was too afraid. If I stayed in that vehicle and someone saw me, I would get shot and never have an opportunity to explain myself,” Wallace said from the stand.
He also revealed his fear of law enforcement, which led him to flee the scene and eventually be captured, hiding in a treehouse in Georgia, armed with 500 rounds of ammunition and multiple weapons.
“I was too afraid of what might happen if I stayed,” Wallace continued in his defense.
Read: Othal Wallace trial: Testimony details how accused cop killer made it to Georgia
According to prosecutors, Officer Raynor was on patrol when he saw Wallace sitting in his car and approached Wallace to question him about a stolen car.
According to officers, the officer’s radio communication went silent a short time later.
When other officers arrived, they found the officer shot on the ground
Read: Opening statements begin in trial of man accused of killing Daytona Beach police officer.
Raynor died Aug. 17, 2021, almost three months after the shooting.
The jury is now tasked with deciding if Wallace is guilty of first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer.
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