MIAMI – Just before 4 p.m. Thursday, jurors left the courtroom to decide the fate of two men allegedly hired by Manuel Marin; a former Presidente Supermarket owner, to kidnap and kill his-then wife's lover in 2001.
Alexis Vila Perdomo and Roberto Isaac are on trial for the kidnapping and murder of Camilo Salazar on June 1, 2011.
Salazar's body was found dumped near the Everglades on June 2, 2011, a day after he was reported missing by his wife.
Miami-Dade police officers discovered Salazar's body badly beaten, his hands bound behind his back and his pelvic area burned.
On Wednesday, the state medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Salazar's body testified, telling those in the courtroom that a series of injuries were the cause of Salazar's death.
Earlier in the day, a cellphone expert placed Isaac and Marin together near the location of Salazar's dumped body.
"I am not here to tell you that I think that Camilo Salazar was a great guy for cheating on his wife," state prosecutor Gail Levine told jurors in Thursday's closing remarks. "You don't get kidnapped, tortured and murdered in the most gruesome way because you had an affair."
Following a short lunch break, the defense responded with its own remarks, attempting to discredit the state's case.
"That lady right there (Salazar's widow) lost her husband to a brutal slaying, and somebody's got to pay for it, but not Roberto Isaac" defense attorney Michael Walsh said. "They want to say it's him because they don't know who it was."
Walsh also attempted to further discredit the state's case, calling into question why it took so long for the case to go to trial.
Vila Perdomo faces charges for conspiracy to commit murder, while Isaac faces murder charges.
Marin is expected to face trial next year.