Campbell's Fate in Jury's Hands

Isaac Campbell's fate now rests with the jury; deliberations in the accused murderer's second trial began Thursday following closing statements by the defense and prosecution teams. 

Prosecutors say Campbell killed his ex-girlfriend, Liya "Jessie" Lu, 31, by placing her in a "sleeper hold," a martial arts move that induces cardiac arrhythmia by compression of the carotid arteries.

He then dumped her body in a trash can filled with cat litter and

following a month-long trial and seven days of deliberations. However, the panel became deadlocked 10-2 in favor of conviction on whether the former Pasadena City College student was guilty of second-degree murder.

In his closing statements Wednesday, defense lawyer James Duffy said the prosecution had built a flimsy case against Campbell.

"They don't have proof of anything," Duffy said. "The People's case is based on wild speculation, guesswork."

Duffy seized upon the fact that the coroner was unable to ascribe a cause of a death in the case.

Investigators did not discover Lu's "mummified" body until Sept, 15, 2007 — more than a month after her Aug. 12 death. Lu's brain had become "liquefied" during that time, making it impossible for him to confirm whether or not a seizure disorder ultimately killed her.

Her body had no ligature marks, bruises or other sign of abuse.

Duffy also noted the inconsistency of some prosecution witnesses' testimony, and that his client "had no prior history of violence."

Prosecutor Steven Ipson portrayed Campbell as a cold, calculating killer who eluded authories in an attempt to get away with murder.

Shortly after Lu died, Campbell took a trip to Las Vegas with a female friend. Later, he adopted the alias "John Connor" and fled to Minnesota, where authorities arrested him in September 2007.

Ipson roundly shot down defense claims that Lu "had a long and documented history of neurological problems" that likely killed her.

"If she died of a seizure that night, what should a reasonable person do?" Ipson told the jury. "What is the reasonable thing to do? What is the only reasonable thing to do? Call 911."

The prosecutor also highlighted new testimony from a downstairs neighbor who did not testify during the first trial. The neighbor testified she often heard the couple argue loudly, but the argument that took place the night of Lu's death was "more heated than usual."

"There's a 'smack' and then there's absolute silence the whole rest of the night," Ipson said. 

Campbell, , did not testify this time around. He also faces charges related to the possession of marijuana for sale.