Both the commonwealth and defense rested their cases in day two of John Wesley Morris' shooting trial.
Morris is a once convicted murderer who is now accused of shooting his girlfriend at point blank range. Morris is facing three felony charges including aggravated malicious wounding.
The commonwealth rested its case at about 11:00 Tuesday morning in Albemarle County Circuit Court. Prosecutors had a firearms expert testify, who said there were no usable fingerprints found on the gun.
As the trial headed into the afternoon, Morris took the stand. In court, Morris said he saw a gun on a bench and took it to the victim's bedroom to confront her. He said the victim went for the gun, they struggled and it went off. Morris also told the jury he didn't know the victim was shot and that she told him to take the gun and go.
Morris' past criminal history was also brought up Tuesday. He was previously sentenced to 46 years in prison after he was convicted on charges connected to the 1984 double homicide at the Hardee's on Pantops. Morris was released on parole in January 2008.
The defense rested its case shortly after 4:00 Tuesday afternoon. Court will resume at 9:00 Wednesday morning, where closing arguments will begin. The trial is slated to last four days.
